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Jury selection has begun in what the media is calling a landmark trial accusing social media giants of deliberately designing their products to hook young Americans, and conservative readers should watch this closely. This Los Angeles case — the first bellwether in a wave of litigation — follows Snap and TikTok quietly settling just before the courthouse doors opened, while Meta and Google’s YouTube prepare to defend themselves before a jury. The stakes are enormous: a ruling here could rewrite how tech companies operate and hand trial lawyers and woke activists a weapon to reshape an entire industry.
The lead plaintiff, identified only by the initials K.G.M., is a 19-year-old who claims early and repeated use of platforms like Instagram and YouTube led to addiction, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Those are serious human concerns that deserve compassion, but compassion should not blind us to common-sense questions about parental responsibility, schooling, and personal accountability in a world full of temptations. Plaintiffs allege these platforms engineered attention-grabbing features to maximize time spent on apps — an accusation the companies vigorously deny while insisting they’ve invested in safety measures.
Make no mistake: Snap and TikTok settling before trial is classic risk management, not a confession of guilt, and conservatives should be skeptical of settlements that let giant companies quietly pay to avoid public scrutiny. Meta and YouTube heading to trial means the core arguments will be aired in public, with top executives expected to testify — a rare moment of accountability for companies that have long operated with little oversight. If juries reward emotional narratives over hard legal principles, the result will be a costly, unpredictable precedent that chills innovation and invites regulatory overreach.
The plaintiffs’ legal theory likens modern recommendation algorithms to slot machines and accuses companies of using behavioral science to addict kids — language designed to inflame public anger and win sympathy in court. Conservatives should be clear-eyed: sloppy legal theories baked into emotional courtroom theater can become templates for future litigation and regulation that punish success and muzzle free enterprise. If the law starts penalizing design choices without clear statutory guidance, judges and juries, not elected lawmakers, will be setting tech policy for the nation.
We must also insist on real solutions that restore family and community responsibility rather than turning every cultural problem into a lawsuit against successful companies. Strengthening parental controls, improving mental-health resources in schools, and teaching digital literacy are conservative, practical responses that preserve innovation while protecting kids. Tech companies will point to investments in safety tools and partnerships with law enforcement; lawmakers should hold them accountable through clear rules, not a patchwork of punitive jury verdicts driven by emotion.
As jury selection proceeds in Los Angeles, hardworking Americans should demand a fair, sober process that separates legitimate misconduct from the inevitable consequences of a free market where people make choices every day. Conservatives should back victims who need help while opposing activist campaigns that weaponize our courts to remake industries on partisan terms. Let the facts and the law, not virtue-signaling headlines or opportunistic trial lawyers, decide this case — and let legislators, not juries, craft any meaningful, balanced reforms.
