Week of March 26, 2026

From the publisher’s desk

Two juries came to similar conclusions this week: Social-media platforms can be dangerous and addictive, especially for children—and these social-media companies prioritize profit over safety.

The first case was decided in New Mexico, after a seven-week trial. The Associated Press reports:

A New Mexico jury determined Tuesday that Meta knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its social media platforms, a verdict that signals a changing tide against tech companies and the government’s willingness to crack down. …

New Mexico jurors sided with state prosecutors who argued that Meta — which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp—prioritized profits over safety, and violated parts of the state’s Unfair Practices Act.

The jury agreed with allegations that Meta made false or misleading statements and also agreed that Meta engaged in “unconscionable” trade practices that unfairly took advantage of the vulnerabilities of and inexperience of children. …

Jurors found there were thousands of violations, each counting separately toward a penalty of $375 million. That’s less than one-fifth of what prosecutors were seeking.

The second case was decided on Wednesday, as NBC News explains:

A jury found Meta and YouTube negligent in the design or operation of their social media platforms, producing a bellwether verdict in the first lawsuit to take tech giants to trial for social media addiction.

The Los Angeles County Superior Court jury said that Meta’s and YouTube’s negligence were a substantial factor in causing harm to the plaintiff, identified in court by her initials, K.G.M., and that the companies failed to adequately warn users of the dangers of Instagram (Meta’s platform) and YouTube (which is owned by Google).

It awarded K.G.M. $3 million in compensatory damages, finding Meta 70% responsible for harm caused to the now 20-year-old plaintiff, and YouTube responsible for 30%.

The trial, which began last month in a Los Angeles County courtroom and included testimony from Mark Zuckerberg and other tech executives, was the first in a consolidated group of cases brought against Meta and other companies by more than 1,600 plaintiffs, including over 350 families and over 250 school districts. …

The plaintiff was a minor at the time of the incidents outlined in her lawsuit. K.G.M. testified in court that her nearly nonstop use of social media caused or contributed to depression, anxiety and body dysmorphia. It “really affected my self-worth,” she said last month.

Speaking about her social media use, K.G.M. testified that she felt she wanted to constantly be on the platforms and feared missing out if she wasn’t.

In both cases, the social-media companies have said they plan to appeal.

It’s worth noting that in both cases, the amount of money being discussed here is mere pocket change to massive companies like Google and Meta. As the aforementioned AP piece says: “Meta is valued at about $1.5 trillion and the company’s stock was up 5% in early after-hours trading following the verdict, a signal that shareholders were shrugging off the news.”

So … will these cases actually cause social-media platforms to change their ways? The answer is … uh, maybe?

The New York Times explained how these cases are different from previous lawsuits against Facebook and the like—and that there are a LOT more cases in the pipeline:

The verdict in K.G.M.’s case — one of thousands of lawsuits filed by teenagers, school districts and state attorneys general against Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snap, which owns Snapchat — was a major win for the plaintiffs. The finding validates a novel legal theory that social media sites or apps can cause personal injury. It is likely to factor into similar cases expected to go to trial this year, which could expose the internet giants to further financial damages and force changes to their products.

The personal liability argument draws inspiration from a legal playbook used against Big Tobacco last century, in which lawyers argued that the companies created addictive products that harmed users. The companies have largely dodged legal threats by citing a federal shield, called Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which protects them from liability for what their users post. …

The cases have been compared to those against Big Tobacco last century, when Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds were accused of hiding information about the harms of cigarettes. The companies reached a $206 billion master settlement with more than 40 states in 1998 that led to an agreement to stop marketing to minors. Strict tobacco regulations and a decline in smoking followed.

Though the California Superior Court of Los Angeles County verdict is an initial victory against tech giants, legal experts said it was unclear if the decision would represent a similar turning point. Eight other cases brought by individual plaintiffs are slated to go to trial there. A set of federal cases brought by states and school districts in Oakland, Calif., at the U.S. District Court of Northern California, are scheduled for jury trials this summer.

“There is a long road ahead, but this decision is quite significant,” said Clay Calvert, a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a center-right think tank, and expert on media law. “If there are a series of verdicts for plaintiffs, it will force the defendants to reconsider how they design social media platforms and how they deliver content to minors.”

There’s no question that social-media platforms can be harmful, especially to children. Here’s hoping that these cases, and the cases that follow, force these trillion-dollar companies to finally take steps to make their platforms safer and less-addictive.

No Kings Protests

A lot of locals will be joining millions of others across the United States and beyond this Saturday, March 28, to protest the authoritarian efforts of the Trump administration at No Kings protests.

Here are the local No Kings protests:

• Fallon: 9 to 10 a.m. at Millennium Park, at Maine Street and Williams Avenue

• Reno: 10 a.m. to noon at Arlington Avenue and Liberty Street

• Carson City: Noon to 2 p.m. at the Legislative Plaza, at 401 N. Carson St.

• Kings Beach: 1 to 3 p.m. at the Bear Street Roundabout at the Kings Beach State Recreation Area

• South Lake Tahoe: 1 to 5 p.m. at 1004 Lakeview Ave.

• Truckee: 3 to 4 p.m. at Donner Pass Road and State Route 89

If you go to any of these, be careful; be civil—and raise hell.

—Jimmy Boegle, publisher/executive editor