Today, Meta and YouTube were ordered to pay $3 million in compensatory damages after the court ruled the two companies harmed a young user with design features that were addictive. Following the decision, Jennifer Huddleston, a senior fellow in technology policy at the Cato Institute, released the following statement:

Today’s decision could have a significant impact on technology and expression, both for teens and adults. While it only directly affects two large companies, the broader impact of the finding could impact smaller players in the industry as well by raising concerns about a potential floodgate of litigation, even if they weren’t found similarly liable.

It remains to be seen how or if products will change in light of today’s verdict, but it is likely advocates for legislation will point to it to support further government-enforced restrictions on social media access. Youth mental health is a complicated issue, and rushing to regulate technology does not consider the multifaceted nature of the issue or the impact such policies could have on expression, privacy, and access to information by adults as well as minors.

You can view Jennifer’s previous work on this lawsuit below:

To speak with Huddleston further on this landmark decision, contact Cato PR at pr@​cato.​org.