Genny Ngai Shares Insights with Bloomberg Law on Social Media Addiction Trial

Partner Genny Ngai was quoted in a Bloomberg Law article titled “Social Media Addiction Trial Sparks Reckoning for Product Design.” The article discussed a landmark trial in Los Angeles that is drawing attention to the potential legal risks for tech companies over the addictive design of their products.

The lawsuit, brought by a 20-year-old against Meta's Instagram, Google's YouTube, Snap and TikTok, alleges that these platforms knowingly deployed features that contributed to the plaintiff's depression and self-harm, starting from a young age. The lawsuit is the first of thousands targeting companies to proceed to trial under claims of addictive technologies.

Genny, a litigator in Morrison Cohen’s White Collar & Regulatory Enforcement Practice, spoke with Bloomberg Law about the broader implications of the case, noting, “The theory of liability opens a company to new avenues of discovery that could be risky and problematic. She emphasized, “There’s never been a better time to be proactive and affirmative in implementing safeguards. It’s all about child safety and vulnerable populations. And the question is, ‘Are social media doing anything to protect these populations?’”

Bloomberg Law subscribers may read the full article here.