Mediated Trust

Contact

Meta and Google lose US social media case

ABC Listen

Presented by Samantha Donovan · Thu 26 Mar 2026 at 5:00pm

The tech titans Meta and Google have been found negligent in the design of their platforms in a landmark case in California.

It was brought by a young woman who argued her addiction to the apps exacerbated her mental health problems.

The case is being closely analysed around the world. 

More Information

Featured:    
Mark Lanier, lawyer
Rob Nicholls, senior researcher, University of Sydney
John DeMay, parent and activist 

Credits

To listen click here

Share this article

More News

Social Media Bans For Teens Are Rising Worldwide, But Do They Really Work?

Governments are racing to rein in children’s access to social media as alarm grows over its impact on young minds. Australia’s world-first under-16 ban – the toughest yet – is already showing cracks, with teens easily bypassing restrictions. India is exploring similar curbs in the world’s second-largest smartphone market, where a surge in young users – and low digital literacy – makes enforcement difficult.

Elon Musk vs Sam Altman: how the legal battle of the tech billionaires could shape the future of AI

There was a time when Elon Musk and Sam Altman were friends. But the two tech billionaires are now embroiled in a bitter legal battle in the United States that could reshape not just OpenAI, the artificial intelligence (AI) firm behind ChatGPT they cofounded in 2015, but also the future of the technology more broadly.

I have always seen myself as ‘progressive’ – but with AI it’s time to hit the brakes

At a time when the populist right is on the rise, progressives are shooting blanks while history rushes headlong into an automated future

Analysts say social media giants need to feel global pressure

After the e-Safety Commission revealed that it is investigating some of the world’s biggest social media platforms for suspected non-compliance with the ban on under-16s, analysts are saying it’ll take more than that for the platforms to change their ways. Australian experts say increasing global pressure on social media giants could prove to be the most effective way of enacting change.