LA verdict reshapes digital risks
An L.A. jury verdict found social platforms liable for harms to children, and California is separately considering a bill that would let children (once grown) demand removal of influencer content their parents posted — a likely pivot point for school digital‑citizenship conversations. ( )
A Los Angeles jury delivered its verdict on March 25, 2026, awarding plaintiff K.G.M. a combined $6 million — $3 million in compensatory damages and $3 million in punitive damages — and assigning roughly 70% of the compensatory share to Meta and 30% to Google/YouTube. (cnbc.com) Jurors in the case deliberated for more than 40 hours across nine days after a trial that began with opening statements in February 2026, and the panel at one point reported difficulty reaching consensus on one defendant before returning a majority verdict. (cbsnews.com) The Los Angeles decision was selected as a bellwether tied to roughly 2,000 similar pending lawsuits consolidated in MDL 3047 and follows another high‑profile New Mexico verdict this month, factors reporters say increase pressure on tech defendants and on institutions named among plaintiffs. (verusllc.com) In Sacramento, Senator Steve Padilla introduced Senate Bill 1247 (SB 1247) on Feb. 19, 2026, which would require social platforms to provide a mechanism for adults who appeared as minors in paid family content to request that their parent or guardian edit or delete that content once the person turns 18. (trackbill.com) SB 1247, as reported, would obligate the parent or family member to delete or edit qualifying paid content within 10 business days of notification and would authorize civil action against noncompliant creators; some coverage of the bill cites proposed statutory damages of about $3,000 per day for continuing noncompliance. (calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org) The SB 1247 measure is scheduled for committee consideration with a hearing set for April 6, 2026, and it builds on earlier California measures — AB 1880 and SB 764 — signed Sept. 26, 2024, that went into effect Jan. 1, 2025 and expanded Coogan‑style financial protections for minors in monetized online content. (legiscan.com)
