Episode 963: The Landmark Social Media Addiction Case in California

Newt's World

Gingrich 360

News, Politics

4.6 • 6.4K Ratings

🗓️ 5 April 2026

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Newt talks with attorneys Joseph VanZandt of the Beasley Allen Law Firm, and Mark Lanier of The Lanier Law Firm about the landmark case in California where Meta and YouTube were deemed liable for addiction-related harm to children and young adults. They represented the plaintiff in the case, known as K.G.M. The case was initiated after former Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked internal documents showing that Meta was aware of the harms its platforms were causing to young users, but prioritized growth over user safety. The case was structured as individual lawsuits rather than a class action, with the judge selecting 9 bellwether cases to go to trial. The K.G.M. case was the first one selected. The key evidence used in the case was internal documents and depositions from current and former employees of the tech companies, which showed intentional efforts to design addictive features targeting children. The lawyers argued that the tech companies' actions constituted addiction, drawing parallels to the tobacco industry, and presented expert testimony to establish the clinical criteria for addiction. The verdict found Meta and YouTube liable, marking a significant legal precedent in holding social media platforms accountable for the harms caused by their products. The lawyers expressed concerns about the ongoing lobbying efforts by the tech companies to prevent further lawsuits through legislative means, highlighting the need for greater transparency and regulation.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an I-Heart podcast.
0:02.5	Guaranteed Human.
0:08.0	Welcome to Newt's World Podcast on the IHeart Podcast Network.
0:13.0	Normally I would do a monologue, but frankly, this interview is so fascinating with Joseph
0:19.4	Van Zant and Mark Lanier, the two lawyers who took on all of the big
0:24.3	companies like Meta and Google, and one, that I think you're going to want to spend the
0:30.7	whole time just listening to Joseph and Mark.
0:34.5	Coming up, we're going to discuss the landmark case in California
0:38.5	where META and YouTube were deemed liable for addiction-related harm.
0:44.4	I'll be joined by the two attorneys who represented the plaintiff in the case,
0:48.4	Joseph Vanceant of Beasley Island Law Firm and Mark Lanier of the Lanier Law Firm.
1:00.2	The Beasley Allen Law Firm and Mark Lanier of the Lanier Law Firm. I am really pleased to welcome my guests, Joseph Van Zant of the Beasley Allen Law Firm and Mark
1:07.3	Lanier of the Lanier Law Firm. Joseph and Mark, welcome and thank you for joining me
1:13.5	on Newt's World. Mr. Speaker, it's our joy to be here. This was quite a case. You all are
1:19.7	involved in a landmark moment. How does that feel? Joseph can give his thoughts. He's been in the case
1:26.2	a lot longer than I. I kind of came in at the late end of it to kind of run the last lap of the trial itself. But it's really important and it's really special. My wife and I have 12 grandkids. And once we started seeing under the covers, if you will, and seeing the secret trove of documents,
1:47.2	the truly what I would deem malicious, what the jury deemed malicious, actions that were
1:52.8	intentionally there to try and addict children and mess with their minds, it was very gratifying
2:00.5	to have an independent jury come back and say
2:03.7	they crossed the line, way crossed the line. Joseph, what was your reaction? Yeah, really the same.
2:11.1	I've been doing this case for four years. I mean, so it's been four years of hard work,
2:15.9	overcoming incredible hurdles. These companies
	...

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