Two landmark verdicts this week sent an unmistakable message to technology companies that, for far too long, have operated without accountability for the harms they have caused by putting profits above people. A New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375M for failing to protect children from online predators, and a California jury found both Meta and Google liable for knowingly designing addictive platforms that damaged the mental health of a young woman who began using their products as a child, and ordered them to pay $6M in damages. These verdicts are long overdue and provide a warning to the entire tech industry.

When tech companies are allowed to operate without guardrails or accountability, communities are harmed, public trust erodes, and we miss the opportunity to accelerate innovations that could be harnessed to improve people’s lives.

Despite years of advocates, researchers, parents, and whistleblowers raising alarm bells about harms and demanding action, companies have largely refused to change their policies, practices, and algorithms. Most recently, they have disbanded teams focused on ethics, trust, and safety, and spent millions of dollars to lobby against any regulation of their technologies. Meanwhile, public trust in Big Tech companies and products has been significantly eroded. The overwhelming majority of Americans disapprove of Big Tech CEOs, confidence in Big Tech firms has declined, and Americans are more supportive of government intervention.  Countries around the world, like Australia and France, have already moved to ban social media for children outright, with many more countriesconsidering bans. Parents in the United States have played a significant role in advocating for child online safety bills in Congress, but to no avail. Several states have taken action by passing their own restrictions–while fighting against efforts by Big Tech pushing for federal preemption that would remove state-level protections. The social media companies at the heart of these trials are now key players in AI development. They have provided a model for the AI industry to follow, including adopting anti-regulation stances and refusing to implement practices to protect children. They appear content pursuing the same approach as social media companies did, opting to “move fast and break things” by accelerating AI deployment to young people at all costs and despite credible risks.

Some important data points to highlight:

• Two-thirds of teens have used AI chatbots, and Black and Latino youth are more likely to use chatbots than their peers. U.S. adults are far more concerned about AItechnologies than hopeful about its promise.
• Red flags were raised when two teens committed suicide and their parents filed lawsuits against OpenAI and Character.AI. A wave of additional lawsuits have filed against AI companies to hold them accountable for their AI chatbots contributing to teen suicide and addiction.
• Character.AI and Google agreed in January 2026 to settle lawsuits alleging the AI chatbot contributed to mental health crises and suicides among young people.  Snap and TikTok also settled ahead of trial at the beginning of the year, with thousands of cases from teens, parents, and attorneys general still unresolved.
• In August 2025, a bipartisan coalition of 44 state attorneys general sent a formal letter to Google, Meta, and OpenAI expressing grave concerns about the safety of children using AI chatbot technologies.
• There are over 95 chatbot-specific bills under consideration across 34 states and at the federal level.

This trend is noteworthy. The same wave of public outrage, litigation, and regulatory action that eventually came for social media is already impacting AI–and we have the opportunity to get it right this time by keeping up the pressure for policies to protect young people.