On Tuesday, a New Mexico jury found Meta violated state law by misleading users about the safety of their platforms (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) and enabling predators to target minors on the platforms. They were hit with $375 million in penalties.
New Mexico's AG called it "a historic victory for every child and family who has paid the price for Meta’s choice to put profits over kids’ safety."
Then yesterday, in a social media addiction trial, a California jury found Meta (and YouTube) negligent and assessed compensatory damages of $3 million and an additional $3 mill in punitive damages. Some have characterized these developments as the social media industry's "Big Tobacco" moment.
While insurance probably doesn't cover much/most of these awards, this is chump change for Zuckerberg and his trillion-dollar company. Still, there are literally thousands of similar social media lawsuits in the pipeline. Some will be consolidated, some won't. I won't mind seeing Zuck and a few other social media titans tied up in litigation and frequently reminded of their greed, recklessness and the harm they've caused.
Jury reaches verdict in blockbuster Meta, YouTube social media trial
This isn’t the way to go about this. Congress should get off their ass and pass a ban on social media use before 18 like Australia. Fine the companies that don’t comply. Throw in internet pornography as well.
Awarding cash settlements because wayward parents weren’t monitoring the content their kids are viewing is dumb. There’s nothing wrong with making an addictive product.
If they want to use the Big Tobacco movement as their example then they should legislate like was done with big tobacco. But these cases should get overturned on appeal.
Agree with you on the legislation.This isn’t the way to go about this. Congress should get off their ass and pass a ban on social media use before 18 like Australia. Fine the companies that don’t comply. Throw in internet pornography as well.
Awarding cash settlements because wayward parents weren’t monitoring the content their kids are viewing is dumb. There’s nothing wrong with making an addictive product.
If they want to use the Big Tobacco movement as their example then they should legislate like was done with big tobacco. But these cases should get overturned on appeal.
Love these suits though. Tried to bring them myself but failed to line up clients.
Agree with you on the legislation.This isn’t the way to go about this. Congress should get off their ass and pass a ban on social media use before 18 like Australia. Fine the companies that don’t comply. Throw in internet pornography as well.
Awarding cash settlements because wayward parents weren’t monitoring the content their kids are viewing is dumb. There’s nothing wrong with making an addictive product.
If they want to use the Big Tobacco movement as their example then they should legislate like was done with big tobacco. But these cases should get overturned on appeal.
Love these suits though. Tried to bring them myself but failed to line up clients.
Really? Shoulda called me. I struggle with addiction to internet porn and it's led to severe body positivity issues.
A good friend will bail you out of jail, but your best friend will be sitting next to you in the cell saying "that was f***ing awesome"
@bradstevens you’re digital ambulance chaser?
Did you try hanging outside therapists offices to find clients?
@big-ryan It's about time... Meta will be in trouble in a couple of years. Many people have been sick of Facebook and aren't using it. Instagram was great, but it is starting to follow the Facebook route of polluting with constant ads and a broken algorithm that doesn't show you what you want compared to TikTok and others.
This isn’t the way to go about this. Congress should get off their ass and pass a ban on social media use before 18 like Australia. Fine the companies that don’t comply. Throw in internet pornography as well.
Awarding cash settlements because wayward parents weren’t monitoring the content their kids are viewing is dumb. There’s nothing wrong with making an addictive product.
If they want to use the Big Tobacco movement as their example then they should legislate like was done with big tobacco. But these cases should get overturned on appeal.
I'd be fine with a ban for under 18.
Internet porn is already banned for those under 18. Requiring ID like Indiana has is insanity and stupidity.
@jdb what is a ban if it’s not enforced? Clicking “Yes, I am 18” when entering a porn site doesn’t cut it. It’d be like telling the gas station clerk yes I am 18 when buying a pack of reds.
The litigation is just beginning and it's going to be devastating for these companies. Corporations hate getting sued. The filings make headlines, defense costs are prohibitive, and big verdicts and settlements hurt directly (the payout) and indirectly (reputational damage that can be even more costly). Litigation also involves discovery and, as we saw with the tobacco cases, the "drip drip drip" of revelations that, again, impact reputation, stock valuation, and the bottom line.
In the tobacco lawsuits, the plaintiffs' lawyers, through discovery, uncovered internal tobacco company documents that exposed corporate deception and cover-ups about addiction and nicotine manipulation. The tobacco reimbursement lawsuits resulted in the largest redistribution of the costs of corporate wrongdoing in US history.
The settlement forced the tobacco companies to change their advertising and marketing campaigns. They had to stop using billboards, merchandise branding and "Joe Camel" ads, which had been criticized for targeting young people. The wide dissemination of tens of millions of pages of internal company documents made a huge difference in public perception and that, in turn, meant the tobacco companies lost their legislative cover. The tobacco litigation caused a sea change and was exponentially more effective than regulation.
@jdb what is a ban if it’s not enforced? Clicking “Yes, I am 18” when entering a porn site doesn’t cut it. It’d be like telling the gas station clerk yes I am 18 when buying a pack of reds.
there is no way you’d trust these sketchy porn companies or the state to maintain privacy of such searches. If I enjoy BBWs, Lars likes bondage and S&M and hurting likes being pegged, none of us deserve to have those revealed. And you know as well as I, that information would never be protected.
@jdb what is a ban if it’s not enforced? Clicking “Yes, I am 18” when entering a porn site doesn’t cut it. It’d be like telling the gas station clerk yes I am 18 when buying a pack of reds.
there is no way you’d trust these sketchy porn companies or the state to maintain privacy of such searches. If I enjoy BBWs, Lars likes bondage and S&M and hurting likes being pegged, none of us deserve to have those revealed. And you know as well as I, that information would never be protected.
Besides, with VPNs, if it's available anywhere, it's available everywhere.
@jdb what is a ban if it’s not enforced? Clicking “Yes, I am 18” when entering a porn site doesn’t cut it. It’d be like telling the gas station clerk yes I am 18 when buying a pack of reds.
there is no way you’d trust these sketchy porn companies or the state to maintain privacy of such searches. If I enjoy BBWs, Lars likes bondage and S&M and hurting likes being pegged, none of us deserve to have those revealed. And you know as well as I, that information would never be protected.
Besides, with VPNs, if it's available anywhere, it's available everywhere.
And a teenage boy would sell his kidney to be able to pay for access (not that it is expensive these days). I used to wait several minutes for a decent resolution picture to load with the old AOL.
Many have tried and failed to copy the tobacco litigation model. Creating that kind of change is much more complicated and dependent on legal theories that haven’t survived in other cases.The litigation is just beginning and it's going to be devastating for these companies. Corporations hate getting sued. The filings make headlines, defense costs are prohibitive, and big verdicts and settlements hurt directly (the payout) and indirectly (reputational damage that can be even more costly). Litigation also involves discovery and, as we saw with the tobacco cases, the "drip drip drip" of revelations that, again, impact reputation, stock valuation, and the bottom line.
In the tobacco lawsuits, the plaintiffs' lawyers, through discovery, uncovered internal tobacco company documents that exposed corporate deception and cover-ups about addiction and nicotine manipulation. The tobacco reimbursement lawsuits resulted in the largest redistribution of the costs of corporate wrongdoing in US history.
The settlement forced the tobacco companies to change their advertising and marketing campaigns. They had to stop using billboards, merchandise branding and "Joe Camel" ads, which had been criticized for targeting young people. The wide dissemination of tens of millions of pages of internal company documents made a huge difference in public perception and that, in turn, meant the tobacco companies lost their legislative cover. The tobacco litigation caused a sea change and was exponentially more effective than regulation.
@jdb what is a ban if it’s not enforced? Clicking “Yes, I am 18” when entering a porn site doesn’t cut it. It’d be like telling the gas station clerk yes I am 18 when buying a pack of reds.
there is no way you’d trust these sketchy porn companies or the state to maintain privacy of such searches. If I enjoy BBWs, Lars likes bondage and S&M and hurting likes being pegged, none of us deserve to have those revealed. And you know as well as I, that information would never be protected.
