Facing the Music: The Law and Social Media

There have been growing concerns about the effects of social media, including on children. While politicians have not properly regulated deep-pocketed social media platforms, the courts have taken on a crucial role bringing accountability to large corporate, technology titans.

In a recent court case, a California jury awarded a young woman $3 million in damages against Meta and YouTube because it found the company hooked young people without regard for their well-being. The lawsuit alleged the companies designed their platforms for the purpose of keeping kids engaged because that increased revenue. Not only did the jury award compensatory damages, but it also awarded another 3 million dollars in punitive damages because it found the companies acted with malice, oppression, or fraud in harming children.¹

Governments have also entered the legal fray with social media companies. For instance, the New Mexico Department of Justice secured a jury verdict against Meta for misleading consumers about safety and endangering children. The jury ordered Meta to pay a whopping $375 million in penalties. According to the New Mexico Department of Justice, internal META documents and testimony showed that META employees and outside child safety experts repeatedly warned about the dangers the platform presented.

This July, the City of Boston, on behalf of the Boston Public Schools, filed a federal lawsuit against social media companies alleging these platforms deliberately “target minors with addictive design features that harm children’s mental health.” The lawsuit seeks to compel social media companies to remove addictive features and or damages.²

There are many more lawsuits being filed against social media companies. They will undoubtedly fight back and appeal every adverse ruling they can. However, just like big tobacco and drug companies that destroy people’s lives with opioids, the lawyers are coming to hold social media platforms accountable.

Sources

1. Yang, John, and Jackson Hudgins. “Jury Finds Meta and YouTube Liable in Landmark Youth Addiction Case.” PBS News, 25 Mar. 2026, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/jury-finds-meta-and-youtube-liable-in-landmark-youth-addiction-case. ↩︎
2. “Mayor Michelle Wu Announces Lawsuit against Meta and Other Social Media Companies.” Boston.Gov, Mayor’s Office, 8 July 2026, https://www.boston.gov/news/mayor-michelle-wu-announces-lawsuit-against-meta-and-other-social-media-companies. ↩︎

About the author

Elliot Richardson

Elliot Richardson is the CEO and Co-Founder of Run Down the Middle (RDM), an evidence-based public policy and civic education and engagement platform built to help galvanize Americans searching for a better political environment and real policy solutions. An attorney and longtime public policy advocate, Elliot has spent his career bringing together business owners, advocates, policymakers and community leaders to advance practical solutions. He is also the Co-Founder and President of the Small Business Advocacy Council (SBAC), writes a monthly column for the Daily Herald and has been interviewed by numerous different media outlets. Through RDM, Elliot works to break down complex policy issues, elevate our political discourse, encourage more constructive civic participation and galvanize people around solutions.