Social Media Jury Verdicts Ignite Internet Free Speech Debates

An unlikely coalition of advocates opposing the wave of Big Tobacco-style litigation targeting social media companies over youth addiction is speaking out against a pair of landmark jury verdicts that last week found internet platforms legally responsible for harming teenagers.

The groups have reinvigorated an intense debate—frequently occurring on social media—about sound internet policy, First Amendment rights, and the tech industry’s legal shield known as Section 230.

Two jury decisions—a $6 million verdict against Meta Platforms Inc. and Google LLC in Los Angeles and a $375 million verdict against Meta in New Mexico—saw widespread applause from tech critics, consumer advocates, ...