Meta, YouTube Verdict Escalates Calls for Teen Social Media Limits

Technology Big Tech Family members of victims react to the news of the verdict outside Los Angeles Superior Court, on March 25. Photographer: Frederic J. Brown/Getty Images Gift this article Contact us: Provide news feedback or report an error Confidential tip? Send a tip to our reporters Site feedback: Take our Survey By Newley Purnell March 31, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC Save The push to protect children from social media’s harms is gaining momentum globally and beginning to reach Big Tech’s home turf in the US. A groundbreaking Los Angeles jury verdict last week found Meta Platforms Inc. and Alphabet Inc. ’s Google negligent in the design and operation of their popular platforms — saying they harmed a young user with products created to be addictive. Now, several states including California are getting serious about potential regulation to limit young people on social media, following a trend that’s accelerated in recent months around the world.