— Some Trader Joe’s loyalists aren’t happy that this iconic seasonal dessert has yet to hit shelves. When life gives you lemons… get angry?
US News
Tough Week for Meta
What's going on: For years, social media giants have dodged lawsuits that claim their apps harm and hook minors. Not anymore. In a landmark trial, a Los Angeles jury reached its decision yesterday, siding with a 20-year-old woman, identified as KGM. She alleged that Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube contributed to her anxiety and depression. KGM said she started using YouTube at 6 and joined Instagram at 9, then felt constant pressure to stay online. The jury awarded her $3 million in damages, with Meta responsible for 70%. Both companies say they plan to appeal. That’s not all. Earlier this week, a New Mexico jury said Meta is on the hook for $375 million in damages for violating child exploitation laws.
What it means: If you’ve ever felt worse after you scroll, that experience just got validated in court.Most cases against Big Tech have focused on the content, but that’s protected under the 1996 Communications Decency Act. KGM’s lawyers took a different route. They argued that the algorithms and features are built to keep you scrolling. The jurors may have related to her experience. Dozens more trials will test this strategy in the months ahead, and experts predict lawyers will borrow from this playbook. It’s also clear that Big Tech companies might not fare as well before a jury of our peers (which is probably why they usually try to avoid it). Social media’s reckoning is finally here, but will these multi-billion-dollar companies fix the problem or put profits first?
