A jury in Los Angeles has awarded $6 million in damages to a woman who claimed Instagram and YouTube addicted her to them from childhood, damaging her mental health, according to the BBC.
The panel ruled that Meta and Google intentionally designed addictive features into their platforms, with Meta liable for 70% of the damages.
Both companies have announced they will appeal. The case is expected to influence a number of similar lawsuits and intensify social and political pressure to regulate the use of social media by minors.
Commentary by Harm Teunis, Security Evangelist at cybersecurity company ESET (NL).
“This case could be a real watershed moment. It’s a moment where big tech platforms will be held accountable for the way their products are designed. A moment where they may have to change their design, potentially leading to global restrictions on the use of algorithms that reinforce addictive patterns of behavior. Something the EU is also trying to address through the Digital Services Act.
The US lawsuit focuses on the way social media platforms are designed from the ground up. These applications are optimized to maximize user time online, through features such as infinite scrolling and algorithmic content feeds.
When this design leads to compulsive and potentially harmful behavior, especially among younger users, serious liability issues arise. Just as other industries cannot market products that harm children, the same standard is now beginning to apply here.
But beyond regulation, awareness is key. We must continue to talk openly with our children about what they experience online. The way we help them navigate everyday life should apply equally to their digital lives.”
The article: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c747x7gz249o
Although the press releases will range from very select to rare, I said I'd pass...because sometimes the editors hide.
