Kids Harmed By Social Media: Who Should Pay?

Kids Harmed By Social Media: Who Should Pay?

From This Week in Tech with Jeanne Destro by Jeanne Destro

February 13, 2026 · 24 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the harmful effects of social media on children and teens, focusing on recent lawsuits against major social media companies.

This week, we're featuring an in-depth discussion about the harm social media is doing to kids and teens; addiction, depression, anxiety, and in some cases—even suicide. It is in sharp focus now, because two separate lawsuits went to trial this week, alleging that the big companies running social media platforms, including Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads), and Alphabet (YouTube), know that they are causing harm, and aren't doing enough to stop it. While the two suits are similar, they are not exactly the same, so we asked CBS News Tech Contributor, and former CNET Editor, Ian Sherr, to help us sort it all out. Listen now:

People in this episode

Host: Jeanne Destro

Guest: Ian Sherr

Topics covered

  • social media
  • children's mental health
  • lawsuits
  • addiction
  • depression
  • anxiety
  • suicide

Keywords

  • social media harm
  • children
  • mental health
  • lawsuits
  • addiction
  • depression
  • anxiety
  • suicide

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Meta, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads, Alphabet, YouTube

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