The Lawyer Holding Big Tech Accountable by ‘Beating the Tar Out of Them’ in Court

Attorney Mark Lanier, the lead attorney in the first social media addiction case to reach trial, told an audience at the WIRED World Fair on Wednesday that holding technology companies accountable requires aggressive courtroom pressure. Lanier said the most effective approach is to keep beating the companies in court. His remarks came during an on-stage conversation with WIRED senior correspondent Lauren Goode.

That first addiction case ended with a verdict against Meta and Google in March, and the plaintiff was awarded $6 million in damages. Lanier described the amount as a symbolic win that amounts to a rounding error against the companies' finances. He argued that cases brought by state attorneys general carry more potential to force change, in part because of the larger financial stakes involved.

One such case went to trial in August, when attorneys general from several states, including Arkansas, where Lanier's firm served as outside counsel, accused Meta of failing to protect young social media users. A few days into the trial, Meta agreed to a settlement of up to $16.7 billion to be paid to 51 US states and territories. The company also pledged to change how teenagers use Instagram and Facebook, including a default two-hour time limit. TikTok agreed to similar limits as part of a settlement in Alabama in September.

Lanier said a company the size of Meta, which he described as a $1.7 trillion-dollar business, can absorb settlements and verdicts even when the costs reach into the billions and treat them as the cost of doing business. He said the cases carry less tangible consequences as well, shaping how the public and the companies' own employees view the platforms. In addition to courtroom wins, he said, change can come from people learning what companies do and demanding accountability.

Lanier made clear that public attention was part of his purpose in appearing at the event. He said he was not there because he was bored on a Wednesday, but because he wants everyone to know what these companies do. That kind of pressure, he said, will help change everything.

The remarks put the US litigation campaign against social media platforms in front of a technology industry audience, with the outcomes of state-level cases and the conduct of Meta, Google and TikTok at the center of the discussion.

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