The Daily Social Media on Trial
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Jan 29, 2026 
Cecilia Kang, a New York Times reporter on technology and regulatory policy, explains a new legal strategy targeting social platforms' design and alleged addiction. She discusses bellwether trials, internal company research, the challenge of proving causation to juries, and the remedies plaintiffs seek like monetary damages and design changes.
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Technology Design, Not Just Content
- Plaintiffs argue these suits target technology design, not speech, reframing liability away from content moderation.
- Cecilia Kang compares this moment to big tobacco because firms face claims their products are intrinsically addictive.
KGM's Early, Continuous Exposure
- KGM began using YouTube at eight, Instagram at nine and TikTok at ten and says platform features hooked her into compulsive use.
- She blames infinite scroll, autoplay and recommendation algorithms for fueling anxiety, depression and body-image issues.
Burden Of Proving Causation And Knowledge
- Plaintiffs must prove a causal link between specific design features and compulsive behavior using expert evidence and internal documents.
- They also must show companies knew about harms and withheld that information from the public.