The Landmark Verdict Against Social Media Got It Right |
This past Monday, I had the opportunity at the annual ASPA conference in California to speak on a panel about teaching mass atrocity prevention to public-service professionals. Much of what I spoke on is based on my recently published book, Disconnection: The Search for Identity in a Digital Age (2026). In particular, I was focusing on the role social-media platforms and, more generally, digital culture are playing as pipelines for radicalization processes that contribute to mass violence and atrocities, including genocide.
One of the most prominent preventative strategies I had to offer was quite simply: We need to get young people offline. We need to start community building and offering alternative socialization opportunities for our youth in in-person, shared spaces. How resonant that the same week of this panel discussion, a jury in California found both Meta and YouTube (owned by Google) liable for a teen’s mental-health distress. Hailed as a landmark case against Big Tech, the implications of this recent ruling will hopefully reverberate across the industry.
Specifically, the plaintiff in this case was alleging that both tech companies designed their platforms to be addictive, specifically targeting teens with their products and services. As reported by PBS, the plaintiff's lawyers "pointed to specific design features they said were designed to ‘hook’ young users, like the ‘infinite’ nature of feeds that allowed for an endless supply of content, auto-play features, and even notifications” (Ortutay, 2026).
The jury appeared to agree, as the plaintiff was awarded millions. Moreover, the jury had been explicitly instructed that the mental-health struggles the plaintiff reported need not have been proven as caused by these platforms, but that rather, they had to have served as “substantial factors” in contributing to her harm (Ortutay, 2026). Indeed, in addition to documenting many mental-health harms that are implicated for young users who frequently engage with social media platforms, I dedicate a chapter of my book to their addictive design. I make this argument despite the fact that the current diagnostic manual in our field has not yet recognized internet or social media use as having the potential to trigger addictive behaviors (Aalai, 2026).
Scholars have been attempting to sound the alarm on the detrimental impact of social media to the health and well-being of young users, despite the fact that technological innovations generally outpace the amount of time it takes us to conduct research on impact to users. There are also far-ranging implications for democratic institutions as communication and access to information have largely been mediated by the tech industry, and mis- and disinformation are running rampant. This is one of the many features of social media platforms that leave users vulnerable to radicalization and extremism which can contribute to mass violence and atrocities.
Perhaps the finding in this landmark case will be part of a growing trend of holding Big Tech accountable for the products they have released to the masses. Moreover, it is wildly unrealistic and untenable to place the burden solely on parents to monitor how their children engage with these platforms. Here is hoping research in our field will be used to further generate the political will to impose stronger regulations and guardrails to protect users from the damaging features of these platforms. Until then, I advise potential users to opt out of social media use—as a protective measure for one’s mental health, as well as a form of resistance against their predatory practices.
Copyright Azadeh Aalai 2026
Aalai, A. (2026). Disconnection: The Search for Identity in a Digital Age. Innovative Ink: Kendall Hunt. ISBN: 9798319705013
Ortutay, B. (2026, March 25). Instagram and YouTube Found Liable in Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial in California. PBS News. Retrieved on March 26, 2026 from: pbs.org/newshour/nation/instagram-and-youtube-found-liable-in-landmark-social-media-addiction-trial-in-california
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