Question Everything Meta Knew They Were Addicting Kids. Now They’re Paying for It.
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Apr 2, 2026 Mariana McConnell, plaintiff's co-lead counsel who sued Meta and Google over teen social media harms. She discusses the LA verdict finding platforms designed addictive features, the legal strategy that sidestepped Section 230, and internal documents showing deliberate design choices. The conversation covers product-focused claims, filters and teen body image, and what this ruling could mean for tech accountability.
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Courtroom Moment When The Verdict Arrived
- Mariana McConnell described being in the courtroom next to plaintiff Kaylee when jurors returned with verdict forms.
- The jury answered yes to negligence, causation, knowledge, and failure to warn for both Meta and YouTube, leading to emotional reactions on the legal team.
Treating Platforms As Products Breaks Section 230 Shield
- Mariana McConnell reframed social platforms as products, not speech forums, to avoid Section 230 immunity.
- She argued features like endless scroll, autoplay, and like counts are design choices that intentionally addict and cause physical harms to minors.
Beauty Filters Drove Early Body Dysmorphia
- Kaylee's addiction centered on Instagram beauty filters that Meta provided as product features.
- Mariana's team displayed thousands of Kaylee's filtered selfies, showing how filters drove body‑dysmorphia behavior from age nine onward.