Jury finds Meta and YouTube liable; pediatricians urge parent “talk first”

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A California jury found Meta and YouTube liable for mental health harms tied to children using their services, a decision that Associated Press reported as the first-of-its-kind ruling in a case centered on social media addiction. In the wake of the verdict, doctors and advocates said they hoped it could eventually drive changes across the industry, particularly around how platforms account for children’s mental health.

Child and adolescent psychiatrist Carol Vidal, who works at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, told AP she was encouraged by the outcome in part because she said social platforms had largely operated without meaningful oversight. Vidal said the companies had “basically seen these platforms sort of go unregulated for many years … and they didn’t really consider, that much, the effects on children,” according to her remarks to AP.

AP also reported expert guidance for families on how to discuss social media and reduce potential harms. For many parents, battles over screen time have become a recurring part of raising children in an environment where scrolling is constant and online risks—fears of harmful content or difficulties breaking attention—can be difficult to manage.

Jenny Radesky, division director of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at the University of Michigan Medical School, said parents should begin with conversations rather than relying primarily on preset restrictions. Radesky told AP that open-ended questions and “leaving space for teens to share their opinion” can be more productive than imposing limits without understanding what is driving a child’s behavior or mood.

Radesky suggested that parents ask what a child likes about social media and what they are seeing, including asking about posts they find funny, entertaining, creepy, cool, or frustrating. From there, parents can discuss what content a child dislikes and options for addressing it, AP reported, including resetting a feed, limiting content to friends, or taking a break from the platform.

Radesky told AP that the most helpful boundaries can depend on the child’s individual well-being and needs. She said rules framed around health and functioning—rather than restrictions presented as punishment—can help children understand how to use social media in a healthier way.

Vidal said parents can also use modeling as a practical tool. She told AP, “The most powerful thing that parents can do is actually model good behaviors, because kids sometimes respond more to what they see than what they’re told,” and she suggested that when parents are on their phones around their children, they should explain what they are doing instead of scrolling without context.

The guidance also includes using concrete strategies for managing use over time. Radesky said approaches such as setting timers, designating “phone free zones,” or taking a multiday break can help teens be more intentional about what they get out of their phone and social media, rather than letting the activity turn into endless scrolling.

AP’s reported suggestions tied specific scenarios to specific responses—for example, leaving the phone downstairs at night when sleep is an issue, using a timer if a child scrolls for hours, or setting aside one day each week for a family activity when social media is used out of boredom. The experts emphasized that the right approach depends on patterns of use, challenges, and what motivates a child to engage with apps.

The reported guidance also addressed the question of age. Many major platforms set a minimum age requirement of 13, AP said, citing the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act’s role in restricting data collection on younger children, while noting enforcement can be limited because verifying age at sign-up is difficult. AP also said individual states have moved to restrict accounts—sometimes up to age 16—without parental permission.

In addition, AP reported that the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend social media under age 13, and Radesky said: “That doesn’t mean you need to start an account at age 13. Many kids benefit from waiting longer.” The AP report also described a “Wait Until 8th” movement in which some parents pledge not to give a smartphone until the 8th grade, around age 13 or 14.

Radesky said parents and children should work together on changes rather than treating social media use as an issue that only affects teens. She told AP, “So try to make a change together,” and also referenced the American Academy of Pediatrics’ family media plan, a free online tool intended to produce recommendations for a person’s media use based on that individual’s situation.