This week: 2 different trials, 2 guilty verdicts for knowingly endangering children - the company behind Instagram and Facebook was found responsible for creating addictively designed features that harmed mental health and negligent design that allowed minors to be contacted by sexual predators.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/technology/meta-new-mexico-child-safety-violations.html?unlocked_article_code=1.V1A.LCpa.BC6ft0GUNb9Z&smid=url-share

Meta Ordered to Pay $375 Million Over Child Safety Violations

In one of the company’s first major losses, New Mexico jurors found that it had misled consumers about the safety of its platforms, enabling sexual exploitation of young users.

The New York Times
From the trial in New Mexico:
“Meta executives knew their products harmed children, disregarded warnings from their own employees and lied to the public about what they knew.”
From the trial in Los Angeles:
During opening arguments, lawyers presented the jury internal company documents from Meta and YouTube that showed tech executives knew of and discussed the negative effects of their products on children.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/technology/social-media-trial-verdict.html?unlocked_article_code=1.V1A.BLUS.udgmtc53Ubp2&smid=url-share
Meta and YouTube Found Negligent in Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial

A jury found the companies harmed a young user with design features that were addictive and led to her mental health distress.

The New York Times
We are grateful to finally see some accountability for the harms these addictive designed platforms have caused, and we fully support the prosecutor who won the case in New Mexico in his plan to ask that the court force the company to modify the design of the apps to make them safer for children and teens.