The Social Media Addiction Trials Begin

31 snips

Feb 14, 2026

Guest

Madlin Mekelburg, Bloomberg legal reporter who covered the California trial; Julia Angwin, investigative journalist and founder of Proof News; Judd Legum, author of Popular Information. They discuss the landmark suit accusing Meta and Google of designing addictive features for kids. They explore habit versus addiction, grayscale and policy fixes, and how prediction markets are creeping into newsrooms.

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ADVICE

Switch Your Phone To Grayscale

Try switching your phone to grayscale to reduce compulsive checking.
Julia Angwin reports her daily phone use dropped dramatically after doing this.

INSIGHT

Screen Time Effects Are Nuanced

Research shows social media's effects are non-linear; moderate use often correlates with best well-being.
Different phone activities (messaging, gaming, doomscrolling) have distinct impacts.

INSIGHT

Age Verification Threatens Privacy

Age-based bans require identity checks that erode online anonymity and privacy.
Such measures risk turning browsing into a documented, surveilled activity.

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In a landmark trial in California, Meta and Google are being accused of addicting children to social media. On this week’s On the Media, hear how the dramatic proceedings are playing out, and how measures to protect kids online can backfire. Plus, why are betting companies showing up in newsrooms?

[01:00] Host Brooke Gladstone speaks with Madlin Mekelburg, a legal reporter at Bloomberg, about the landmark lawsuit against Google and Meta that went to trial this week. The social media giants are being accused of deliberately designing their platforms in a way that is addictive and harmful to children’s brains, and the verdict of this case will influence the outcomes of thousands of similar cases across the country. Plus, neuroscience researcher Ian Anderson explains why the ‘addiction’ framework misses the complexity of what social media does to our brains.

[20:00] Brooke interviews Julia Angwin, investigative journalist and founder of Proof News, a nonprofit journalism studio. They discuss the tools that users can employ to protect themselves against doomscrolling, and how social media bans across the world can sometimes do more harm than good.

[34:41] Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Judd Legum, the author of the accountability newsletter Popular Information, about the explosive rise of prediction markets, and the implications of their growing partnerships with newsrooms.