Talkback #TalkBack: Big Tech vs Big Tobacco — Are we here again?
Mar 27, 2026
Rajesh Sreenivasan, Head of Technology, Media and Telecommunications at Rajah & Tann Singapore, offers legal perspective on platform liability and online safety. He discusses the California jury finding about platforms and teens. They explore what counts as intentionally addictive design, the role of algorithms and internal documents, and how legal remedies may differ across jurisdictions.
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Jury Found Platforms Intentionally Dangerous For Teens
- The California jury found Meta and Google liable for intentionally designing platforms dangerous for teens.
- The case centered on a 20-year-old plaintiff, Kayleigh, who claimed childhood social media addiction caused depression and suicidal thoughts.
Big Tech Is Not The Same Legal Beast As Big Tobacco
- Rajesh warns that equating Big Tech to Big Tobacco is simplistic because legal constructs differ even if both are called "big."
- He highlights jurisdictional limits and that this was a Los Angeles jury verdict relying on particular facts and counsel expertise.
High Profile Plaintiffs Settled While Meta And Google Stayed
- Rajesh notes the case originally named TikTok and Snap among four plaintiffs, but those companies settled while Meta and Google proceeded to trial.
- He highlights Mark Lanier's role as the plaintiffs' lawyer, known from the Johnson & Johnson litigation.