Starmer vows to tackle social media's 'addictive features' to protect children
2026-03-26
The Guardian
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A US jury found Meta and YouTube negligent for using AI-driven platform designs that caused social media addiction and mental health harm to a young woman. The verdict, praised by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, marks a legal precedent holding tech companies accountable for AI-enabled harm to users.[AI generated]
Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?
Social media platforms like Meta and YouTube rely heavily on AI algorithms to curate and recommend content, which can create addictive experiences, especially for children. The court ruling explicitly finds these companies negligent for harms caused by these addictive features, which are AI-driven. The harm to the plaintiff (a young woman addicted to social media from childhood) is a direct consequence of the AI system's design and use. The event also includes societal and governance responses but the primary focus is on the harm caused by AI-powered social media systems. Hence, this is an AI Incident.[AI generated]