Big Tech critics hail ‘Big Tobacco moment’ in landmark social media verdict | CNN Business

For critics of tech companies like Meta and Google, Wednesday’s verdict in the social media addiction trial has been literally years in the making. Parents, child safety experts and some lawmakers said the finding of liability was a long-overdue moment of accountability. “For the parents whose children died as a result of social media harms, today’s verdict is a huge step toward truth, justice, and accountability,” Sarah Gardner, the CEO of Heat Initiative, a three-year-old group that says it exists to “turn up the heat on Big Tech.” Gardner argued that Wednesday’s verdict from a Los Angeles jury “is social media’s Big Tobacco moment — the harm these companies intentionally cause children has been proven in a court of law.” Alvaro Bedoya, a Biden-era FTC commissioner, wrote on X that “a jury of regular people has managed to do what Congress and even state legislatures have not: Hold Meta and Google accountable for addicting young people to their products.” The trial centered on claims that the tech giants deliberately designed their platforms with addictive features that keep young users hooked and damage their well-being. Both companies have invested heav