00:00Is big tech facing its big tobacco moment?
00:02Meta and Google just lost a case that could reshape social media as we know it.
00:07A California jury found the companies liable for designing platforms that are addictive to children.
00:12Now the payout, $6 million, is pocket change for them.
00:15But the case cracked something much bigger open.
00:17There are thousands of similar lawsuits lined up, from individual families to entire school districts,
00:23arguing that social media is harming kids and disrupting classrooms.
00:27For years, tech companies have been shielded from liability over what happens on their platforms.
00:33But this case goes after something different, the design itself.
00:38And that's a much harder defense.
00:40They could be forced to change how their products work and potentially jeopardize ad revenue.
00:45The companies are appealing, arguing that mental health can't be pinned on a single app.
00:50But juries are starting to connect the dots.
00:52Earlier in the week, a New Mexico court found Meta misled teens about safety,
00:57even as it knew Facebook and Instagram had been breeding grounds for sexual predators.
01:02The jurors awarded civil penalties, totaling $375 million.
01:07And this is also one of the rare issues uniting U.S. lawmakers, child online safety.
01:12Now, win or lose on appeal, the damage isn't just legal, it's reputational.
01:16And moments like the one outside that courthouse show exactly why.
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