4/03/2026

N. WISCONSIN - Parents and advocates in Wisconsin and across the country are demanding legislation be passed to ensure social media safeguards for children. This comes after a landmark verdict last week found Meta and Google liable for a woman’s childhood social media addiction. At a recent press conference, bereaved parents like Victoria Hinks shared how social media experiences harmed their children. She emphasized that the recent verdict against tech giants Meta and Google proves they made conscious decisions to harm children for profit, and parents are not to blame.

                    0:09  "This is a victory and we all feel vindicated, but it has to be coupled with legislation because this could just be like, 'okay, this is just the cost of doing business,' and then they go back to doing it."

Advocates are calling on Congress to pass the Kids Online Safety Act which mandates a ‘duty of care’ for online platforms to prevent mental health harms and sexual exploitation. Wisconsin lawmakers are considering similar state-level legislation as part of a broader effort to introduce age-related restrictions and address addictive digital features.