A jury in Los Angeles has confirmed something every parent needs to hear. Meta and YouTube created features that they knew could harm children and they pushed them anyway.  

A young woman told the court that she became addicted to Instagram and YouTube when she was still a child. She described years of serious mental health struggles that followed. After hearing weeks of evidence, the jury ruled that both companies were negligent and failed to warn families about the risks built into their platforms. They have now been ordered to pay millions in damages.

This case matters because it shows that the design of these apps is not an accident. The constant recommendations, the nonstop videos, the alerts that pull kids back in again and again. A court has now said out loud that these choices can cause real harm. Parents deserve to know what their children are up against every time they open these apps.

"For the first time, we’re releasing statistics for just half of 2025 through June, compared to the same time last year, to get this important information out to the public quickly rather than at year’s end. These crime trends are gleaned from millions of reports sent to our CyberTipline, which serves as the national reporting mechanism for online child sexual exploitation."   ~ Patricia Davis, NCMEC 

<~~ 11/29/22 “This is yet another horrific reminder of the predators existing online who prey on our children. If you’ve already had a conversation with your kids on how to be safe online and on social media, have it again. If not, start it now to better protect them.”