Meta and Google found negligent in social media addiction trial
Global News Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 8.2K Ratings
🗓️ 26 March 2026
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A jury in California has concluded that Meta and Google intentionally built addictive social media platforms, in a case brought by a 20-year-old woman who said her compulsive use of social media as a child led to mental health problems. The woman, known as Kaley, has been awarded $6m in damages. The outcome of this trial is likely to have implications for hundreds of similar cases now winding their way through US courts. Parents who say their children were also harmed by social media algorithms celebrated the result outside the court. Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, alongside Google, the owner of YouTube, have both said they will appeal.
Also: President Trump has claimed Iran is ''afraid'' to admit it is negotiating with the US, as Tehran continues to deny reports of dialogue with Washington. The boss of AirCanada is facing calls to resign, after he released a condolence message for the recent deaths of two pilots in English, but not in French. More than 350 years after the death of the legendary French musketeer d'Artagnan, his remains may have been found under the floor of a Dutch church. And scientists now believe dogs became man's best friend much earlier than previously thought.
The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This is the Global News Podcasts. |
| 0:08.0 | This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:11.6 | I'm Jonut Jaliel and in the early hours of Thursday the 26th of March, these are our main stories. |
| 0:18.2 | A young woman wins a landmark social media addiction case against two |
| 0:22.4 | tech giants setting a precedent thousands of others could follow. After Iran rejects negotiations |
| 0:29.1 | with the US, President Trump claims its leaders are afraid to admit to talks because they fear |
| 0:35.1 | being killed. |
| 0:44.1 | Also in this podcast, has anything changed for Venezuelans since Nicholas Maduro's capture. |
| 0:50.6 | January 3rd was a really big step. It's not enough. We want the investment of the US. |
| 0:55.4 | We want the investment of the international companies, and we want democracy now. |
| 1:02.1 | And just how long have dogs been man's best friend? You may be surprised by the answer. |
| 1:12.1 | It's a landmark case that could transform social media and open the floodgates for tech giants to be sued by thousands of young people and their families. A 20-year-old woman known as Kaylee went to court to |
| 1:18.2 | argue that two of the world's biggest tech companies, Meta and Google, designed their apps to be |
| 1:25.0 | addictive and harmful to adolescents. |
| 1:33.0 | And a jury in Los Angeles found them both liable for harming Kaylee's mental health. |
| 1:40.1 | She's been awarded a total of $6 million in damages over her childhood addiction to social media. |
| 1:44.4 | Her lawyer, Mark Lanier, called the ruling A Righteous Moment. |
| 1:50.9 | We've sent a message with this, that you will be held accountable for the features that drive addiction. |
| 1:53.6 | That's a huge message for these companies. |
| 2:01.4 | Mr. Lanier was speaking outside the courthouse, surrounded by a group of parents who claim their children were also harmed by social media. |
| 2:05.9 | Many of them were seen celebrating and hugging each other after the verdict. |
| 2:11.5 | John DeMay, whose son Jordan killed himself after being extorted on Instagram, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.