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Why could what happened to tobacco companies come back to haunt social media giants too?
In the 1990s, tobacco firms faced a series of trials that ultimately held them accountable for selling a product they knew was harmful – they became known as the “tobacco trials”.
Three decades on, landmark trials are taking place in the US, where lawyers representing people allegedly harmed by social media are trying a new line of attack against tech companies.
These trials focus on how platforms are designed – not on what is posted on them.
That means the tech companies can’t rely on Section 230 of the Communications Act, a piece of law that protects them from liability over user content. That defence has seen a lot of cases fail in the past.
There are currently more than 2,000 active cases looking at social media harm in the US. Here are three of those cases that are particularly significant.
Bereaved parents created a memorial screen honouring their children near the LA courthouse
LA social media trial – featuring Mark Zuckerberg
Thousands of people have filed lawsuits accusing TikTok, Meta, Snapchat, and YouTube of designing addictive, harmful platforms.
Now, lawyers have bundled those cases together and picked what they believe are the strongest to take to court.
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