Chris Mason: How will the UK respond to US court verdict on social media?

Some critics of the tech giants are already calling this social media's "big tobacco moment." The verdict of a jury in Los Angeles, that Google and Meta intentionally built addictive social media platforms is being seen as a landmark, as societies around the world decide how, or whether, to regulate social media further and consider banning children from using it. Asked if the trial in America pointed to a shift in public mood with an expectation of more aggressive regulation, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: "I think it does, and obviously we'll study that ruling very carefully, but I'm absolutely clear that we need to go further." He added: "I want to be really clear, it's not if things are going to change, things are going to change. The question is, how much and what are we going to do?" Australia has already done so and others have already introduced or are planning to introduce tighter rules. Here in the UK, the government is carrying out a consultation on what it should do next. When this began earlier this month, ministers set out what they see as the essence of the challenge they - and we as a society - face. "Social media use among children and adolescents is almost