Meta, YouTube verdict could trigger cascade of social media lawsuits: expert
Meta, YouTube verdict could trigger cascade of social media lawsuits: expert
Barry Davis, professor emeritus of biostatistics and data science at the University of Texas Public Health and author of "The Preventioneers: Diseases, Disasters and Discoveries that Changed Our World," called the decision the start of something significant.
OAKLAND, Calif. - A California jury found Meta and YouTube liable this week for creating an addictive product that harmed the mental health of a young woman, ordering the two companies to pay $6 million in damages.
Both companies plan to appeal, but the verdict is already raising questions about whether it marks a turning point in how social media companies are regulated.
Barry Davis, professor emeritus of biostatistics and data science at the University of Texas Public Health and author of "The Preventioneers: Diseases, Disasters and Discoveries that Changed Our World," called the decision the start of something significant.
"I think it's the beginning of something big," Davis said. "It took a long time for these cases to go through the courts and to actually have them be held liable for something. In this case, they were held liable for product design."
Davis said history suggests the verdict will not be an isolated event.
"Something has to happen first, and then there's sort of a cascade of what could happen next," he said. "It's never one straight line. It's always a little bit forward and then a little bit backward. But if there is some forward movement, then there's more and more light shining on the issue."
The case drew widespread comparisons to landmark lawsuits against the tobacco industry, as well as earlier battles over automobile safety in the 1960s — when regulators and advocates fought for years before car manufacturers were required to improve vehicle design to reduce injuries.
"The pattern is such that people realize that there's some sort of harm and then evidence accumulates and then there's some action," Davis said. "But what happens is there is a resistance — in the case of big tobacco, obviously, it's the tobacco industry. In the case here, it's obviously the big tech industry."
The verdict comes amid growing public awareness of the dangers of social media, particularly for young people. Australia has banned social media use for those under 16, and cell phone restrictions in U.S. schools have become increasingly common.
Davis said the most important takeaway for parents and Americans is that social media addiction is not simply a matter of individual willpower.
"It's not just individual behavior, it's the environment," he said. "It's up to all of us to try and create a safer environment — that can be done through legislatures, through professional norms. I would hope that the wider environment would become safer for everyone, not only just for teens."