The verdict delivered by a California court this week holding Meta and YouTube accountable in a social media addiction case could be a bellwether for the larger movement towards accountability for Big Tech. The 20-year-old plaintiff, who claimed that the platforms run by these companies led to anxiety and depression, was awarded millions of dollars in damages — Meta is to pay $4.2 million and YouTube $1.8 million. The verdict is being called technology’s Big Tobacco moment. The idea that social media is engineered to be addictive has hovered at the level of common sense. The verdict lends greater weight to what insiders like former Google design ethicist Tristan Harris and Justin Rosenstein, creator of the Facebook “like” button, have long argued: Social media platforms are built to capture and hold attention through design choices that exploit human psychology.

Source: Indian Express March 27, 2026 09:12 UTC