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In a landmark shift for social media accountability, Meta suffered two major legal defeats this week as juries in separate states ruled the company failed to protect young users on its platforms, bringing vindication to parents who have lost children to social media-related tragedies.
Walker Montgomery was just 16 when he died by suicide in December 2022 after falling victim to a sextortion scheme. Someone posing as a teenage girl contacted him through Instagram, seducing the Mississippi teen into cybersex and then threatening him. Within hours, he had taken his life.
“We didn’t get to see him the next morning,” said Brian Montgomery, Walker’s father, who describes his son as an athlete who loved the outdoors. A photograph of Walker taken during a duck hunting trip just months before his death sits on Montgomery’s desk as a painful reminder of what was lost.
Montgomery was not among the plaintiffs in the recent cases, but he joined many parents celebrating the verdicts that could signal a turning point in how social media companies are held accountable for their impact on young users.
The first significant ruling came Tuesday when a New Mexico jury sided with state prosecutors who argued that Meta—owner of Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp—prioritized profits over safety. The jury imposed a $375 million penalty on the tech giant.
Just a day later, a second jury in Los Angeles determined that both Meta and Google-owned YouTube designed their platforms specifically to hook young users without concern for their well-being. Both companies have indicated they plan to explore legal options, including potential appeals.
These verdicts represent a dramatic shift in the public’s perception of social media companies and their responsibilities. For years, these tech giants have disputed claims that they harm children’s mental health through deliberate design choices that addict young users while failing to protect them from sexual predators and dangerous content.
“We’re talking about the most financially sound business that the planet has ever known. This will set an expectation,” Montgomery said, adding that the next step must be legislation. “They’ve proven that they can’t regulate themselves.”
In Dedham, Massachusetts, Deb Schmill shares Montgomery’s mixed emotions of validation and grief. Her daughter, Becca Schmill, was 18 when she died of fentanyl poisoning in September 2020 after purchasing drugs through a social media platform. Becca’s drug use began after she was sexually assaulted by someone she met online and became a victim of revenge porn.
“She was a wonderful child, but she was just tortured,” Schmill said. “That’s the painful part of all of this. If this could have been done five years ago, 10 years ago. Things would be so different.”
Like Montgomery, Schmill has advocated for the Kids Online Safety Act, legislation aimed at protecting children from online harms. The bill has passed the U.S. Senate but has yet to clear the House of Representatives.
“We know, the parents know better than anyone that when we are unable to hold the social media companies accountable, children die,” she said. “And it’s just absurd that this is happening in our country.”
The legal cases against social media companies could take years to resolve through appeals and settlement discussions. Unlike in Europe and Australia, tech regulation in the United States has progressed slowly, frustrating advocates who see an urgent need for change.
Even parents whose children haven’t experienced the most severe consequences are growing increasingly cautious. Charles Halley, a father in Alameda, California, explained that his fifth-grade son doesn’t have a phone specifically because of concerns about social media’s harmful effects.
“The divisiveness, the beauty standard, consumerism, just everything that’s wrong with society kind of packaged up and marketed to kids,” Halley said, describing his concerns. He noted that parents are organizing to address these issues, though he’s uncertain whether the harmful aspects can be entirely eliminated.
“People my age, younger, older, have seen what social media has done to our behavior, the way we deal with each other,” he continued. “And I would just assume that the effect is magnified for kids whose brains are still developing, and it’s just a shame to see them exposed that way. That’s why I’m keeping my kid off social media.”
As these legal battles unfold, they represent more than just corporate penalties—they mark what many parents see as the beginning of a long-overdue reckoning that could finally force social media companies to prioritize the safety of their youngest users.
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10 Comments
The mining and energy sectors should follow these social media accountability cases closely. Their own online presences and digital engagement strategies may need to evolve in response.
Good point. As more industries rely on social media, the legal and ethical responsibilities of these platforms will only grow.
Tragic story. Social media platforms need to do more to protect vulnerable young users from predators and mental health risks. Accountability is long overdue.
Agreed. These companies prioritize engagement over user safety, and that has to change. Stronger regulations and enforcement are critical.
While the verdicts against Meta are welcome, the underlying issues of social media’s impact on mental health and online safety are complex. Regulators will need to continue scrutinizing these platforms.
As the mining and commodities sectors grow, it’s crucial that social media platforms strengthen user protections, especially for minors. This is an issue that affects many industries.
Interesting to see social media accountability making headway in the courts. These lawsuits could have ripple effects across the tech industry, including for mining/energy companies that rely on social media.
Absolutely. Any company with a major online presence should be paying close attention to these developments and shoring up their own user safety measures.
Heartbreaking to hear about Walker Montgomery’s story. Parents are right to demand accountability from social media firms that failed to safeguard their children.
These verdicts could set an important precedent. Social media platforms can no longer shirk responsibility for the real-world harms their services enable.