Addictive Social Media

Is Social Media Hurting Our Keiki? New Court Verdicts Signal a Change for Parent Rights

By Alexander Skopis, Attorney at The Law Office, LLLC

As a former prosecutor here in Honolulu, I’ve spent years holding people accountable when their actions harm others. Now, in my private personal injury practice, I see a new, more insidious threat facing Hawaii’s families: the deliberate design of social media platforms to addict our children.

For years, parents have felt helpless as they watched their kids withdraw, struggle with anxiety, body image issues, or depression, all while being glued to their screens. We were told it was a "parenting issue."

Recent historic court verdicts in New Mexico and California just proved that is a lie.

For the first time, juries have heard the evidence and decided that these tech giants are not just passive platforms; they are defective products designed with malice to hook vulnerable young brains for profit. As a Hawaii personal injury lawyer, I believe these decisions open a crucial door for local families to seek justice for the harm done to their keiki.

The Landmark Verdicts: Proving Malice and Negligence

This month (March 2026), two major trials concluded with devastating losses for social media companies.

1. New Mexico: A $375 Million Penalty for Misleading Parents

In Santa Fe, a jury ordered Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) to pay $375 million in civil penalties. The state’s Attorney General argued—and the jury agreed—that Meta violated consumer protection laws by misleading parents about the safety of its platforms.

The evidence showed that Meta executives knew their products were harmful to children’s mental health, ignored their own employees’ warnings, and lied to the public about what they knew. The jury found that Meta engaged in "unconscionable" practices by taking advantage of children's vulnerabilities.

2. California: Liability for Addiction and Mental Health Struggles

Simultaneously, in Los Angeles, a jury found both Meta and YouTube liable in a first-of-its-kind case brought by a 20-year-old woman. She argued that she became addicted to their platforms as a young child (starting at age 6), which exacerbated severe mental health struggles, including depression and self-harm.

After nine days of deliberation, the jury decided that the companies were negligent in their platform design. They found that specific features—like infinite scrolls, autoplay, and relentless notifications—were substantial factors in causing her harm. Crucially, the jury found the companies acted with malice, opening the door for additional punitive damages.

It’s also important to note that TikTok and Snap (Snapchat) both settled their portions of this lawsuit before the trial began, suggesting they knew how damning the evidence would be.

What This Means for Hawaii Families

Hawaii’s state constitution and tort laws are designed to protect our residents—especially our minors—from being exploited by powerful entities. Hawaii is already helping lead nationwide efforts for KOSA (Kids Online Safety Act) and has previously taken legal action against TikTok for these exact "predatory" tactics.

These new verdicts change the game for individual personal injury claims in Hawaii:

1. "It’s Not Your Fault": You are no longer fighting a vague sense of guilt. A jury has legally established that these platforms are engineered to override a child’s self-regulation.

2. Product Liability Analog: These cases are being litigated like defective products. If a toy company sold a car that was designed to make a child crash, they would be liable. We are now applying that standard to the digital products our kids consume.

3. Measurable Damages: If your child has required hospitalization, extensive therapy, or suffered permanent disability (including chronic mental health conditions) due to documented social media addiction and its side effects (like severe eating disorders or self-harm), these are recognized tort damages.

Your Next Steps: Preserving the Evidence

As a new solo practitioner, I know that success in these high-stakes cases against massive corporations requires meticulous preparation from Day One. If you believe your child has been severely harmed by social media addiction, you need to act to preserve the evidence:

• Do Not Delete Accounts: Do not deactivate or delete your child’s social media accounts. This is your primary evidence of their usage patterns, the content they were served, and their interactions.

• Keep Medical/Therapy Records: Meticulously document all medical visits, psychological evaluations, therapy sessions, and hospitalizations related to their mental health struggles.

• Document School Impact: Keep records of declining grades, disciplinary issues, or withdrawals from social activities.

Seek a Free Consultation with a Hawaii Tort Attorney

The window of time to file a claim—the statute of limitations—is already ticking. These are complex cases that require an attorney who understands how to fight powerful defendants and who respects the local values of protecting our keiki and our community.

At The Law Office, LLLC, we offer a free, confidential consultation to Hawaii families. We operate on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing upfront; we only get paid if we recover compensation for you.

Don’t let a billion-dollar corporation dictate your family's future. Call/text us today at (808)330-9362 or fill out our online contact form to discuss your rights.