Following two significant court rulings against Meta and Alphabet in the U.S. on March 25 and 26, 2026, media law expert Prof. Dr. Matthias C. Kettemann has given various interviews explaining the implications of the decisions and the potential future changes for the platforms.
Background
On March 26, 2026, a California jury ordered Alphabet and Meta to pay damages. The reasoning: They acted negligently in designing and operating their platforms.
The lawsuit was filed by a 20-year-old woman who holds the companies—specifically the platforms YouTube and Instagram—responsible for her social media addiction. The court ruled in her favor. The companies must pay a total of six million U.S. dollars. Both companies plan to appeal.
On March 25, a jury in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay a fine of 375 million dollars. The jury’s reasoning: Despite knowing better, the company had not done enough to protect young users.
Latest Contributions by Matthias C. Kettemann
- ZDF heute, Christian Hoch: „Social-Media-Sucht: Plattformen ‚bekommen richtig Stress‘“ [Social Media Addiction: Platforms ‘Are Really Under Pressure’] https://www.zdfheute.de/politik/ausland/social-media-sucht-google-meta-urteil-100.html | March 26, 2026
- Deutschlandfunk „Der Tag“ [The Day], Stephanie Rohde: „Wie schädlich sind Instagram und YouTube?“ [How Harmful Are Instagram and YouTube?] https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/sucht-social-media-oesterreich-spritpreise-100.html | March 26, 2026
- Stern, Riccarda Campell: “Haftbar für Social-Media-Sucht: Wie gefährlich ist das Urteil für Techkonzerne?“ [Liable for Social Media Addiction: How Dangerous Is the Ruling for Tech Companies?] https://www.stern.de/wirtschaft/sind-google-und-meta-wegen-gerichtsurteil-in-gefahr—37257980.html | March 26, 2026
- Deutsche Welle News: “Is Social Media Hazardous to Our Kids’ Health?” | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASaKkRk5pUQ | March 26, 2026
- ORF2: „US-Gericht: Meta und Google wegen Social-Media-Sucht verurteilt“ [U.S. Court: Meta and Google Convicted of Social Media Addiction] | https://on.orf.at/video/14316617/zib-1 | March 26, 2026
Implications of the Rulings
ORF2: “For the first time, the issue wasn’t what Instagram or Facebook does with individual pieces of content, but rather the way in which they present that content.”
On ZDF heute, Matthias C. Kettemann described the rulings as a “wake-up call” for the industry. The case brought by plaintiff K.G.M. should be viewed as a “landmark ruling” for future cases. The platforms are now in for “real trouble.”
According to Kettemann, the rulings are important because they demonstrate that the platforms acted unlawfully. This “will now lead to a shift in thinking. The platforms cannot simply carry on as before.”
Deutschlandfunk, Der Tag: “A new era has begun here.” “This is the beginning of a legal revolution.”
Der Stern: “Juries are increasingly willing to hold social media platforms liable not only politically or morally, but very specifically under tort law for alleged addiction and health damages.”
Example Instagram: What Might Better Protection Look Like in Practice?
ZDF heute: “The European Commission has already made some very good proposals regarding child-friendly design: Time limits, prompts from the platform such as ‘You’ve been online for quite a while now. Why not do something else?’ and disabling infinite scrolling, as well as recommendations for high-quality content from public broadcasters.”
Social Media and Its Effect on Mental Health
Deutschlandfunk, Der Tag: “Depression and other health issues always have various causes. It would be disastrous to oversimplify and say that social media is addictive, makes us stupid, or radicalizes us. There are various reasons. However, these studies have shown that social media can contribute to people, especially children, feeling worse. They should have done something about it.”
Regulations at the EU Level
ZDF heute: “Platforms are already bound by European child protection laws, meaning they must do a better job of protecting children. While some of the Commission’s guidelines are not yet binding, the platforms cannot claim that they don’t care about children.”
According to Matthias C. Kettemann, the successful lawsuit in the U.S. might lead young people in the EU to sue the platforms as well. “Perhaps we’ve opened up a new front here.”
“The EU has passed many good digital laws recently. I think the Digital Fairness Act could be the icing on the cake because, in addition to our existing basic obligations, it clearly states the platforms’ obligations and stipulates that they must ensure people benefit from using the platforms rather than being harmed by them.”
Social Responsibility
ZDF heute: “We need to engage in much more dialogue with young people. We need to raise awareness among parents and in schools. Discussions about social media bans don’t help. They don’t solve the problem; they just push it further down the road.”
Photo by Creative Christians on Unsplash