Can Social Media Companies Be Held Responsible For Harming Kids? Landmark Trial Begins
Plus: Why More American Births Are Happening In ERs
Good evening,
Survivors were joined by world leaders to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, honoring the 81st anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp by Soviet troops.
Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered six million Jews across German-occupied Europe. In Auschwitz alone, 1.1 million people were killed either in gas chambers or died from cold, starvation, and disease.
As of 2026, 30 U.S. states mandate Holocaust education, according to the education group Echoes and Reflections.
At the same time, Holocaust education groups are using AI to preserve survivors’ testimonies. Last year, Mo News Producer Sam had the chance to meet Holocaust survivors who agreed to have their stories recorded, then transformed into interactive, AI-powered installations.
🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING
Instagram, YouTube Go On Trial Over Claims They Deliberately Addicted Children
A landmark jury trial kicked off Tuesday in Los Angeles targeting Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube, accusing the platforms of deliberately addicting and harming children — a case being described as Silicon Valley’s “Big Tobacco moment.”
If successful, the case could bypass key legal protections, including Section 230 and First Amendment defenses that have long shielded tech platforms from liability.
INSIDE THE COURTROOM
At the center of the case is a 19-year-old plaintiff, identified only as “KGM,” whose lawyers argue that addictive and deliberate design features — such as infinite scroll, autoplay, and 24/7 notifications — led her to become hooked on social media at a young age. The lawsuit claims companies sought more addictive features to boost profits.
The trial could last six to eight weeks, with high-profile executives — including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and head of Instagram Adam Mosseri — expected to testify.
The arguments: Lawyers for KGM say her social media use at a young age led to her developing depression and suicidal thoughts. On the other side, social media companies have said there is a lack of conclusive research to prove the claims.
Meta has accused the plaintiffs of constructing a “misleading narrative,” and says it has made changes to help protect teens online. Google, which owns YouTube, is expected to highlight safety features and argue its site more closely resembles a streaming platform than social media.
Not in court: Snapchat and TikTok were supposed to be part of this trial, but they reached their own settlements with KGM prior to Tuesday.
BIGGER PICTURE
Legal commentators call it a “bellwether” trial, a case chosen from a large group of similar lawsuits meant to test how juries respond to the arguments and what damages might be awarded.
REWIND: Two years ago, Mark Zuckerberg and other tech executives testified before the Senate about child safety. He apologized to families of kids who have been the victims of online abuse and harm. Zuckerberg said that’s why Meta has invested “so much” in safety mechanisms.
In the hearing, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Zuckerberg and the other companies: “You have blood on your hands.”
Since then, in October, Mosseri rolled out new movie–style guardrails on Instagram, limiting certain content for users aged 13 to 18 (similar to PG-13 and R ratings). The company will likely highlight these measures in court.
Instagram Teen Accounts also blocked search terms for sensitive topics, restricted access to content and messaging abilities, and made stricter parental controls the default setting.
PREVIEW OF WHAT’S TO COME
More than 40 states, both Republican and Democrat, are also suing Meta, Snap, TikTok, and Google’s parent company, Alphabet, on similar grounds in federal court. And some countries are taking action beyond the courts.
France’s National Assembly backed a bill Monday to ban children under 15 from social media, citing concerns about bullying and mental health.
It follows a similar move by Australia, which last year became the first country to bar social media use for teens under 16.
In the U.S., a Fox News poll from last month found that about two-thirds of Americans support a social media ban for kids under 16.
🚨 ONE THING WE’RE FOLLOWING
Maternity Care Moves To ERs As Hospitals Face Financial Pressure
More women are delivering babies in emergency rooms as maternity wards disappear. In Los Angeles County, about 14% more women sought birthing care in ERs in 2023 than in 2016, even as overall births fell 26%, according to new reporting by Type Investigations and The Guardian. Between 2016 and 2023, more than 26,500 people — roughly 64% Latino — delivered in ERs.
One major driver: maternity ward closures. L.A. County has lost at least five since 2023 and 16 since 2014, leaving many patients with no other option. Nationwide, more than 35% of U.S. counties are maternity care deserts — meaning there are no hospitals offering obstetric services or birth centers, and no obstetricians, gynecologists, or certified nurse midwives.
BIGGER PICTURE
These deserts are mostly concentrated in rural areas across the South and Midwest, but cities are increasingly being affected too. More than 500 hospitals dropped obstetric services from 2010–2022, according to research published in JAMA. And ERs can’t turn patients away in the case of an emergency.
Costs are partially to blame for the closures.
Maternity wards require 24/7 staffing and are comparatively expensive to operate. Hospital administrators also point to declining birth rates, rising costs, and labor shortages as reasons for the closures.
Funding for hospitals is on the line. President Trump’s tax and spending bill, passed this summer, reduces federal Medicaid — the program that pays for 41% of all U.S. births.
The U.S. has the highest rate of maternal deaths of any high-income nation. ER doctors are trained to handle a wide range of emergencies — not to provide comprehensive prenatal, labor, and postpartum care.
⏳ THE SPEED READ
🚨NATION
Alex Pretti broke rib in previous confrontation with federal agents a week before death, sources say (CNN)
Judge orders ICE chief to appear in court or risk contempt over denial of due process (AP)
Families of two men killed in Trump’s military boat strikes sue US government (GUARDIAN)
U.S. population growth sputters as immigration stalls (AXIOS)
More than 31,000 nurses, health care workers strike at Kaiser Permanente, arguing for safe staffing levels, fair wages (ABC)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
India and the EU announce a free trade deal affecting up to 2 billion people (AP)
Mexico investigates deadly attack after soccer match as Sheinbaum faces pressure to curb crime (CNN)
NATO chief warns Europe can’t defend itself without US as tensions rise over Greenland (FOX)
Australia swelters in a record heat wave as temperatures near 50° C (122° F) (ABC)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
“Doomsday Clock” moves to 85 seconds to midnight, closest point to catastrophe since its debut (CBS)
Trump raises US tariffs on South Korea imports to 25% (BBC)
Amazon closing Fresh and Go stores as it expands Whole Foods (AXIOS)
Airports across Asia reintroduce COVID-esque health checks after outbreak of deadly Nipah virus in India (INDEPENDENT)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
ICE role at the Winter Olympics prompts fury in Italy (NBC)
Composer Philip Glass withdraws premiere from Kennedy Center (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)
Top children’s book recognition is awarded to ‘All the Blues in the Sky’ (NPR)
Actress Sydney Sweeney could face legal trouble after draping Hollywood Sign with bras (ABC)
Neil Young gives Greenland free access to his catalogue for 1 year (CBC)
ICYMI FROM THE 📲
In case you missed it…First Lady Melania Trump’s new documentary, ‘Melania,’ is set to debut on Friday, detailing the 20 days leading up to her husband’s second term.
The doc is set to open in over 1,400 theaters nationwide and in more than 27 countries, with Amazon MGM studios reportedly paying $40 million for the film’s rights, alone. It has cost the company nearly double that amount, when you add in marketing costs.
So far, the film’s opening weekend projections pale in comparison. According to Puck, the film is expected to gross somewhere between $1 million and $5 million.
President Trump is trying to get the word out, writing on X: “MELANIA, the Movie, is a MUST WATCH… “Get your tickets today – Selling out, FAST!”