A verdict in the landmark social media addiction trial against Meta and YouTube in Los Angeles is expected this week. We sat down with California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who was instrumental in bringing the case, to get his thoughts on the trial, AI, tech regulation—and, of course, creators.
The verdict could set a precedent for how similar cases play out.
“As California goes, so goes the nation,” Bonta told us. California is the fourth-largest economy in the world and home to many top tech and entertainment companies.
Plaintiffs in the case argue that social media companies should be held liable for harms caused to young people on their platforms. It alleges that these companies specifically designed products and features to make their platforms addictive, causing mental health issues in children and teens.
“Kids’ safety is something we can never take risks with and should always be aggressive in taking appropriate steps,” Bonta told us.
For their part, Meta and YouTube have denied that their platforms are addictive.
If found liable, the social platforms could face major financial penalties and design changes to their apps that could disrupt their business models. TikTok and Snap were also named in the lawsuit, but settled before the case went to court.
Most social platforms have a minimum age requirement of 13, but young people are notorious for circumventing rules, including lying about their age or creating fake accounts. The lead plaintiff in the case said she got hooked on YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at age 9.
Bonta argues that being “pro-kid” doesn’t mean being anti-business, saying that more parents would feel better about their kids being online if “they knew that steps were being taken to keep their kids safe.”
His position on AI is similar: Bonta says it shouldn’t be seen as the “bad guy,” but that we need to “guard against the downside risk,” including harms to children.
Our podcast interview with Bonta took place at SXSW, a tech and arts festival in Austin, which has increasingly drawn more politicians over the years. Bonta was there for a third time, joining a panel advocating for men to support reproductive rights.
He’s also on a podcast tour of sorts. Earlier this month, he joined the hosts of the “Strict Scrutiny” podcast for a live recording, and he went on “Do You Even Care?” a show hosted by Esteban Gast, which takes place in a sauna. Gast turns up the heat during episodes and encourages guests to do more to address climate change.
“That was not a place I would maybe be three or four years ago. It's an important place to be now … In a fun atmosphere, where maybe it’s more accessible to more people,” Bonta said. At the same time, he is also posting a lot more on social media himself. “We try to listen to what people are interested in.”
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, who was Bonta’s classmate in graduate and law school, expressed a similar sentiment when we asked him about his efforts to get Senate Democrats to be more active on social media.
Unlike Booker, who told us he would support a social media ban for teens in the US, Bonta had a more measured answer. “I’m open to it,” he said. “The older you are, the more appropriate it is to be online. Is it right at 18 or 17 or 16? I don’t know what the magic is of one of those numbers.”
We covered a lot of other ground in the interview, including his concerns about Paramount’s planned acquisition of Warner Bros. and AI regulation.
Watch the full interview here.
