News

Jury verdicts against technology juggernauts like Meta Platforms Inc. and Uber Technologies Inc. are spotlighting the role complex litigation plays in shaping tech policy in the absence of comprehensive legislation. Bellwether trial losses and settlements in cases over social media and ride-share platform safety have become important pressure points in creating substantive design limits.

A landmark New Mexico case, which alleges that Meta failed to protect children online, has entered a pivotal new phase—one that will test whether courts can require changes that make social media safe for young users.

A new framework from the Knight-Georgetown Institute, Tech Justice Law, and the USC Marshall School Neely Center provides a practical, evidence-based guide to help litigators, courts, and policymakers craft effective, enforceable remedies for harms linked to social media and generative AI chatbot companies, as lawsuits expand across the United States.

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez won a historic sum of $375 million in a landmark child safety case against Meta earlier this year. But the next stage of the fight could be even more consequential for Meta and the social media industry at large.

This week’s verdicts against Meta and YouTube in landmark social media trials in the US underscore the real harms users link to social media design – including addiction, lasting mental health impacts, and exposure to predators – and highlight the need for these companies to overhaul design choices that prioritize engagement over safety.

As the 2025-2026 legislative session in Minnesota progresses, KGI is encouraged by support in both the State House and Senate for legislation promoting algorithmic feeds that prioritize users’ long-term interests over short-term attention maximization.

OpenAI confirmed on March 6 that it is delaying the rollout of “adult mode” in ChatGPT, a feature that would give verified adults access to less-restricted content. The company first announced plans to begin age-gating users last year but has now pushed back the launch twice. Segregating adult users from minors could help in some of OpenAI’s legal and revenue challenges, but nailing the technology may not be easy.

In March 2026, KGI welcomed Amy Winecoff as Senior Technologist. Amy provides technical leadership across KGI’s portfolio, with a specific focus on AI and platform governance.

Meta and YouTube are accused of intentionally designing addictive features that hooked a now-20-year-old woman as a child and harmed her mental health. The lawsuit brought by “Kaley” and her mother is the first of more than 1,500 similar lawsuits to go to trial.

The European Commission is for the first time tackling the addictiveness of social media in a fight against TikTok that may set new design standards for the world’s most popular apps.

Online age assurance requirements are reshaping how people access digital services worldwide. KGI’s latest report examines how these systems work and the tradeoffs inherent in their deployment.

Provisions in a new bill introduced in Alabama would advance transparency and user control in algorithmic feeds on social media platforms, reflecting key recommendations from KGI’s Better Feeds guidelines. The legislation signals a shift beyond existing “addictive feeds” approaches toward algorithms designed to promote long-term user value.