Bloomberg Law Social Media Addiction Verdict & Cox SCOTUS Decision
Mar 26, 2026
Shyam Balganesh, Columbia Law professor and IP expert, and Collin Walke, cybersecurity and privacy lawyer, unpack two big rulings. They discuss a jury verdict finding platforms negligent over teen social media addiction and legal theories around platform design. They also analyze the Supreme Court’s ruling narrowing contributory-infringement for ISPs and what could still trigger liability.
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Jury Finds Algorithms Caused Harm
- A jury found Meta and YouTube negligent for designing addictive algorithms that substantially harmed a user's mental health.
- Collin Walke highlighted internal Meta studies showing causation: phone abstinence improved mental health and predisposed youths worsened with increased use.
Remove Infinite Scroll To Break Habits
- Companies can reduce addictive use by redesigning product mechanics like removing infinite scroll.
- Walke suggested simple fixes such as adding pauses or patience into feeds to break habitual reaching for phones.
Appeal Odds Hinge On Legal Errors
- Appellate risk depends on legal and factual grounds, including two dissenting jurors and potential evidentiary or legal errors.
- Walke noted jury verdicts are hard to overturn absent clear judge errors, so appeal is uncertain.