Social media’s big tobacco moment is just a first step

# Social Media Lawsuits Are Just the Beginning—Here's Why The recent court verdict holding Meta and Google responsible for addictive platforms is being compared to tobacco industry lawsuits, but there's an important difference: tobacco companies were punished mainly for *lying* about the dangers, not just for making an addictive product. Once those companies had to tell the truth, courts largely sided with people's right to choose, and nothing fundamentally changed. Social media companies will likely face the same pattern—initial accountability followed by a shift toward individual responsibility—unless regulators go further and actually restrict how these platforms can operate.