An Indian scammer is bragging about making money by conning “super dumb” conservative men with AI-generated social media accounts.
The 22-year-old med school student, identified in an <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/ai-generated-maga-girls/">interview</a> with Wired by the pseudonym “Sam,” said he created a fictional character named &#8220;Emily Hart&#8221; to help pay for school. The sexy blonde AI-generated persona was active on Facebook, Instagram, and the OnlyFans competitor site Fanvue, which allows AI-generated content (OnlyFans does not).
Sam said he used Google&#8217;s Gemini chatbot to help identify a target audience, claiming it suggested the “MAGA/conservative niche” could be particularly lucrative because “the conservative audience (especially older men in the US) often has higher disposable income and is more loyal.”
He then tailored the account&#8217;s content accordingly. Photos depicted “Emily” as a nurse taking part in activities like “ice fishing, drinking Coors Light, and shooting off a few rounds at the rifle range,” Wired reported.
One caption on the account said, “If you want a reason to unfollow: Christ is king, abortion is murder, and all illegals must be deported,” while another said, “POV: You were assigned intelligent at birth, but you identify as liberal.”
Sam told Wired he didn’t expect much from the account, but it kept growing in popularity. “Every Reel I posted was getting 3 million views, 5 million views, 10 million views. The algorithm loved it,” he said. 
Sam also claimed that an “AI hot girl Nazi influencer” would “blow up” and “break all the records.” Meta commented in the article, saying Nazi content was flagged and removed from the platform. 
“I was basically doing nothing,“ the con artist said of Emily’s Fanvue account featuring nude photos generated with AI. “And it was just flooded with money.” 
Both the Facebook and Instagram accounts associated with &#8220;Emily Hart&#8221; have been taken down. Sam told Wired he has no regrets about what he did. 
“I don’t feel like I was scamming people,” he said, adding that the fans probably would have followed along even if they knew Emily wasn’t real because they might “like the sentiment of it.”

AI woman

Don’t Fall For This Hot MAGA Influencer

Artificial Intelligence

Facebook

influencer

Instagram

MAGA

scams

Social Media

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
It was a normal Saturday night in suburban Pennsylvania. Ashley Kavcak, a mom of four, was sitting on the couch mindlessly scrolling Instagram like she did all the time. But on this night, everything changed in an instant when a notification popped up saying her account had been disabled. 
The reason made her stomach drop. According to pop up, she had been banned for violating “Community Standards on child sexual exploitation, abuse, and nudity.”
&#8220;It made me want to throw up,&#8221; she told The Daily Wire in an interview. &#8220;I started immediately thinking, what did I do? Like oh my gosh, what could I have possibly liked or done that would make them think I&#8217;m something so horrible?&#8221;
Ashley had maintained a private Instagram account for 14 years, carefully curating who could see photos of her children because she, like so many moms, was creeped out by anonymous internet weirdos. She had roughly 200 followers mostly made up of family and close friends. 
She never found out what triggered the ban because Instagram doesn&#8217;t tell you.
There was an option to appeal the decision, but in her case that appeal came back denied in six minutes. &#8220;At this point I don&#8217;t think there are any humans working for Meta,&#8221; Ashley said.

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Ashley&#8217;s case is part of a disturbing pattern affecting thousands of Instagram users nationwide. It all blew up around May 2025 when Meta reportedly rolled out new AI moderation models, which immediately triggered clusters of Instagram accounts around the world being disabled overnight. Journalists began documenting how images of cars, family photos, and art were all being improperly flagged as child sexual exploitation.
CBS Philadelphia <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/facebook-instagram-accounts-wrongfully-suspended-for-child-exploitation/">reported</a> that nearly 50,000 Facebook and Instagram users have signed an online petition claiming wrongful bans, with many involving false accusations of child exploitation. NBC Connecticut <a href="https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/investigations/nbc-ct-responds/glastonbury-brothers-claim-accounts-wrongfully-shut-down-meta/3654056/">documented</a> 77 complaints across NBC stations in six months, with 17 specifically for &#8220;child sexual exploitation, abuse, and nudity.&#8221;
In June 2025, a law firm in St. Paul, Minnesota, began seeking plaintiffs for a class action lawsuit against Meta for those who believe they were wrongfully banned. The question at the heart of these cases: What happens when automated systems make life-altering accusations with no visible human oversight?
For Ashley, the accusation carried particular irony. She had kept her account private from the beginning, specifically to protect her children from online dangers. She was selective about whom she accepted as followers. In recent years, she started asking her children&#8217;s permission before posting their photos.
&#8220;I was worried about predators,&#8221; she says. &#8220;Now, according to AI, I am the predator.&#8221;
When the ban notification appeared, Ashley couldn&#8217;t identify what might have triggered it. Her last post was from January 17 and included photos of her family walking on a snowy trail wearing winter coats and hats. She had recently messaged her teenage daughter about going to Hobby Lobby, which made her wonder if that innocent conversation had somehow been flagged.
&#8220;She has a teen account. I am a moderator for her account and am listed as her parent,&#8221; Ashley explained. &#8220;There shouldn&#8217;t be a reason I was flagged for that … but now I’m questioning everything.”
Instagram&#8217;s notification was frustratingly vague. &#8220;They say click here for more information, and it tells you this could be this or it could be that,&#8221; she said. The possibilities ranged from posting inappropriate content to arranging to meet a minor, none of which she had done.
The mistake sent her down the Reddit rabbit hole of researching what she could possibly do to get her account back. What she found was less than encouraging. According to other users who went through the same thing, the ban is tied to her IP address. So trying to sign up and restart with a different email address wouldn’t work. 
&#8220;My email, my phone, everything has a mark on it,&#8221; she says. Users report having to buy new phones and use different WiFi networks just to access Instagram again. &#8220;The length that people have to go just to get Instagram back, it&#8217;s not even worth it,&#8221; she said.
The whole experience brought to mind the relationship people have with social media and their dependence on it always being there. With the ban, Ashley lost access to nearly 2,000 photos spanning 14 years, many of which she no longer has saved anywhere else. &#8220;There&#8217;s definitely years and years of stuff just lost forever,&#8221; she said. 
Beyond the photos, she lost her primary means of staying connected with far-away family and friends, people like an out-of-state cousin who loved seeing pictures of the kids and high school friends who kept up with her family through her posts. &#8220;These people that I once talked to probably think I fell off the face of the earth,&#8221; Ashley said. &#8220;Or maybe they think I blocked or deleted them.&#8221;
She missed a friend&#8217;s pregnancy announcement. She had to text another friend to ask about a mutual friend’s surgery, which is all information that would have appeared in her feed. &#8220;Social media is where people do their updates. That&#8217;s where you share your life,&#8221; Ashley said. &#8220;You don&#8217;t even think about it.&#8221;
The experience revealed how much of modern life is built on these platforms. &#8220;You don&#8217;t realize how dependent you are on it until it&#8217;s gone,&#8221; she added.
The accusation itself also left lasting damage. Ashley immediately worried about the implications: &#8220;Do they report me? Am I in trouble with the public? Can I even volunteer at my kids&#8217; school anymore? Like am I on some kind of list now?&#8221;
Redditors said she probably wasn&#8217;t on a government watchlist, but she still felt weird about it. She found herself adding disclaimers when explaining to people what happened. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t want anybody to think that of me,&#8221; she says. &#8220;What if somebody thinks this is true?&#8221;
The false accusation of exploiting children after spending years protecting her kids from online dangers remains deeply painful. &#8220;That&#8217;s one of those things that I&#8217;m like, well, this is ironic,&#8221; she says. &#8220;I was private to block things like this from happening.&#8221;
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of Ashley&#8217;s experience is the impossibility of reaching a human at Meta for help.
&#8220;There are no humans,&#8221; she said. “You can&#8217;t bypass the robots to get in touch with a human.&#8221;
&#8220;I feel like this is a deeper conversation too about that aspect … there&#8217;s no customer service anymore,&#8221; she went on. &#8220;There are no people to plead your case to.&#8221;
Meta did not return The Daily Wire’s multiple requests for comment. 
Ashley has sent countless emails to support addresses with no luck at all. &#8220;I&#8217;m emailing nobody,&#8221; she said. &#8220;At this point they&#8217;re probably scanning my emails and thinking I&#8217;m a robot because I just keep sending the same thing over and over.&#8221;
Meta&#8217;s approach to content moderation has created a flagging system that appears to be malfunctioning on a massive scale. The company&#8217;s operating model of &#8220;remove first, ask questions later — or never&#8221; means AI is likely making decisions with minimal human oversight, and appeals are mostly processed by bots, according to reports.
“Ordinary users are being hit with these bans completely out of nowhere — no prior warnings, no real reasoning, no chance to appeal effectively,” one Redditor <a href="https://sfist.com/2025/06/16/instagram-users-complain-of-mass-suspensions-of-accounts-likely-by-ai/">observed</a>. “And while losing photos, messages, and memories sucks — and it does — the larger issue is that Meta is slapping these life-altering accusations onto people’s digital identities without context or due process.&#8221;
The European Commission last year initiated <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/24/instagram-facebook-breach-eu-law-content-flagging">formal proceedings</a> against Meta for potential violations of the Digital Services Act, which requires platforms to provide clear reasons for removals and offer the chance for users to appeal. 
But for users like Ashley, slow-moving regulatory action feels like it won’t help much. She just wants her account back, her photos restored, and some acknowledgment that what happened to her was wrong.
&#8220;What they&#8217;re doing is really affecting people negatively,&#8221; she said when asked what she would tell Meta if someone was listening. &#8220;We lost something very personal to us and to be accused … it feels like an invasion.&#8221;
The broader questions remain unanswered: How many others have been wrongly accused? Are any humans reviewing the appeals? Or do they just not care? For Ashley, it’s been a painful education in how fragile our digital lives are and how little power we have against the algorithms ruling the world of social media.

GettyImages-2260904003

This Mom’s Last Post Was A Family Walk. Then Came The Accusation That Changed Everything.

Upstream

We’ve come a long way since Ann Landers. The prim and proper lady doling out advice via her newspaper column couldn’t have foreseen the 21st century. After all, aren’t we in the Golden Age of technology that will give us the answers to all we seek, diagnose our every ill, and pair us with the perfect mate, thus completing life without the trappings of the search for answers?
Not quite.
Since Landers (the pen name of columnist Ruth Crowley starting in 1947 and later Esther Lederer starting in 1955) got her start, Americans have entered the nuclear age, hit a golf ball on the moon, invented meatless meat, and popularized cat memes. Clearly, we are advancing at a spectacular rate and using technology in ever more innovative ways to advance civilization.
Which brings us to our relationships with each other, specifically men and women.
After we acknowledge that young men and women aren’t exactly living their best lives in the relationship sphere — with only 31% of the rising generation actively dating, according to a comprehensive <a href="https://ifstudies.org/report-brief/state-of-our-unions-2026-the-dating-recession">report</a> from the Institute for Family Studies released in February — the next question is: why?
Ann Landers might say there isn’t enough good old-fashioned guidance out there: Who is helping these youngsters find their true love? Who is giving them confidence and fine-tuning the skills necessary to both present oneself to the opposite sex and to realize what qualities and character a young man, let’s say, is looking for in a girlfriend and, hopefully, someday, a wife?
Fear not! The answer is on any laptop or cellphone, in the very doomscrolling that is preventing people from going on actual dates in the first place. Wait, what?
Men are being catfished into dubious relationship advice by AI slop bots.
There is a burgeoning industry lurking in young men’s social media algorithms, promising relationship advice that will lead to the perfect woman. All that’s needed is a credit card and internet access. Instagram and Facebook (both Meta products) have pages devoted to “relationship coaches” geared toward young men stuck in singledom. The pitch from these relationship gurus is eerily similar, as is the aesthetic of these so-called “experts.” You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all, with slight variations for the sake of the proprietary nature of the advice. Long, slightly tousled hair, a sculpted nose, pursed and plumped lips, unblinking eyes, and tops cut to be professional yet provocative, showing off and enhancing bronzed, uplifting orbital assets. Remember, these are pages designed to bait young and lonely men. They consist of talking points that sound more like a cross between a low-rent Kahlil Gibran, Rumi, and Stuart Smalley. The pages offer clips that draw men in by massaging their disaffection and assuring them that it’s not their fault they’re single; it’s that the women are no good!
One alluring young woman is <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sterling_georgia?igsh=MTh6eWozdnY0eXY4ZQ==">Georgia Sterling</a>, who offers this golden nugget of truth: “The same woman who holds the power to elevate your life or completely destroy it is the one you are told you cannot evaluate. And the moment you do, the labels come back at you and suddenly you are called sexist just for thinking critically. This is not random; it is a strategy designed to weaken men’s ability to think clearly and make strong decisions. Because a man without critical thinking becomes easier to control and easier to manipulate and much easier to silence. So men, do not lose your masculinity and do not allow anyone to take away your voice or your right to choose wisely, you are the pillar of society … I offer private, personalized analysis. Link in bio.”
That’s a lot of weighty word salad offering little more than a nod to the Little Rascals’ He-Man Woman Haters Club. Make sure your Venmo information is available.
These relationship-advice experts, who all appear on various unnamed podcasts, have no online record of being podcast guests. They link back to Facebook or personal Linktree pages. When I sent an inquiry to the intriguing <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DW4TIBeE8pV/?igsh=NWFxb2ZoOWk3ZG03">Ivanka</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVtoLh4jmqc/?igsh=MWRjY2g3d2V4aDFxdw==">Hilton</a>, there was no response. Shortly after my Direct Message, Ivanka (who, unsurprisingly, sported long blonde hair and plenty of gaudy jewelry) <a href="https://www.instagram.com/itsivankahilton?igsh=MTk3bDdjMmJ6OGVlZA==">disappeared</a>. In a subsequent search, other Ivanka Hiltons popped up, but with no activity — yet.
All of this could be dismissed as the growing prevalence of benign AI slop if it weren’t for the disturbing trend of young people struggling to pair up and using these AI “experts” as crutches to nurse their grievances and find excuses to stay home and remain perpetually online. It can be hard to search for a mate when a loud segment of the culture looks down on healthy, monogamous relationships, marriage, and having kids. It’s hard to be vulnerable and risk being hurt or rejected. The easy thing is to stay home, stay online, and listen to the first “girl” who reassures young men that this is okay! You just have high standards! Besides, women either don’t understand your particular masculine needs or they’re going to deceive or cheat on you anyway! (That’ll be $29.99, please.)
Worse, these AI models are perpetuating isolating behaviors, rather than offering a way into a relationship for young men who already tend to avoid “real-life” relationships and are looking for reassurance that that lifestyle is perfectly acceptable.
A March <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aec8352">study</a> published in Science examined the sycophantic behavior of AI models in response to people seeking advice on interpersonal and social dilemmas. Stanford University computer scientists showed that AI large language models (LLMs) are overly sycophantic when users solicit advice. <a href="https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2026/03/ai-advice-sycophantic-models-research">According</a> to the Stanford report, “By default, AI advice does not tell people that they’re wrong nor give them ‘tough love,’” said Myra Cheng, the study’s lead author and a computer science PhD candidate. “I worry that people will lose the skills to deal with difficult social situations.” Further, the reinforcing responses were deemed “more trustworthy and indicated they were more likely to return to the sycophant AI for similar questions, the researchers found. When discussing their conflicts with the sycophant, they also grew more convinced they were in the right.”
These young men are being drawn into a world where they can be comforted by a fake beauty who tells them what they want to hear, reinforces their antisocial tendencies, and alienates real women, who are actually the thing these men need most to find purpose, fulfillment, and a life outside the unblinking eye of the virtual world.
What would Ann Landers say about that? You can ask her. She’s now set up as an LLM, trained on her 47 years of advice and published columns. On second thought, go out for coffee and think about it. You might meet someone.

Young women recording podcast in studio

Young Men Are Getting Suckered By AI Relationship Advice

AI Slop

algorithm

Big Tech

Relationships

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
The recent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/verdict-reached-in-landmark-social-media-media-addiction-trial">lawsuit</a> against Meta forces a question the company has long tried to sidestep: Is Instagram merely &#8220;problematic,&#8221; as its executives claim, or is it addictive by design? As a practicing psychotherapist, I don&#8217;t have to speculate. I see the answer every day in my office.
In my clinical work, I&#8217;ve watched a clear behavioral shift unfold over the past decade, tracking almost perfectly with the rise of algorithm-driven social media. Patients describe struggling to focus, feeling restless when their phones aren&#8217;t nearby, and opening Instagram almost automatically. Many tell me they&#8217;ve tried to cut back or quit entirely and failed. They delete the app only to reinstall it days later. They promise themselves they&#8217;ll check for five minutes and look up 45 minutes later, wondering where the time went.
That pattern should sound familiar. It&#8217;s exactly how addictive behaviors work.
The psychology behind it is not mysterious. Instagram runs on intermittent positive reinforcement, the same mechanism that keeps people glued to slot machines. You never know when the reward will come. Likes, messages, and notifications arrive unpredictably, keeping the brain engaged because the next payoff might appear at any moment.
Add infinite scroll, and the pull becomes even stronger. Unlike a book or a television show, Instagram never ends. There is no natural stopping point. The feed refreshes endlessly, removing the moment when a person might otherwise decide to stop. You don&#8217;t consciously choose to keep scrolling. The design removes the need to choose at all.
In my practice, I see how this spills into real life. Relationships suffer because partners feel they are competing with a screen for attention. Couples argue about divided attention, one person scrolling during dinner, during conversations, or even in bed. Work suffers too. Patients check Instagram between tasks or during meetings, fragmenting attention and reducing productivity. Sleep is delayed. Exercise routines disappear. People who genuinely want to log off feel an almost magnetic pull to keep going. This is no longer a minor inconvenience. It&#8217;s behavioral interference.
The changes even reshape how people experience time. One patient recently told me he now watches most videos at double speed and finds ordinary conversation painfully slow. He joked that he wished he could &#8220;2x&#8221; people in real life, but he wasn&#8217;t entirely kidding. His brain had adapted to rapid stimulation, making normal human pacing feel insufficient. Multiply that experience by millions of users, and the cultural shift becomes clear. We are training our brains to expect constant novelty, immediate validation, and nonstop stimulation. Attention shrinks, patience erodes, and quiet moments begin to feel uncomfortable instead of restorative.
We are living in a culture increasingly conditioned to seek immediate reassurance, constant stimulation, and relief from discomfort rather than the slower work of reflection, frustration tolerance, and self-command. Instagram didn&#8217;t create that habit of mind, but it has become the technology that perfects it.
This is why the lawsuit matters.
Companies such as Meta resist the label &#8220;addiction&#8221; for a reason. If a product is merely &#8220;problematic,&#8221; responsibility falls on the user. If it is addictive by design, responsibility shifts to the company. That distinction is not semantic. It is legal, cultural, and moral.
We&#8217;ve seen this pattern before. Industries built on engagement, from tobacco to gambling, have historically downplayed risk while emphasizing personal choice. The language is always similar: Use responsibly, know your limits, manage your habits. But when millions of people struggle with the same behavior, the issue is no longer individual discipline; it is design.
Instagram can connect people and inspire creativity. That&#8217;s true. But acknowledging benefits shouldn&#8217;t require denying reality. Algorithmic personalization, unpredictable rewards, constant notifications, and infinite scroll are not neutral features. They are behavioral engineering tools built to capture and hold attention for as long as possible. And they are working exactly as intended. Calling this merely &#8220;problematic&#8221; understates what&#8217;s happening.
Addiction is not limited to substances. Psychologically, it describes behavior that continues despite negative consequences and begins to displace more meaningful activities. When people lose sleep, struggle at work, withdraw from relationships, and repeatedly fail to cut back despite wanting to, we are no longer talking about a harmless habit.
From where I sit as a therapist, the consequences are no longer theoretical. They show up every day in people who feel increasingly disconnected from their own lives and more tethered to their screens. That doesn&#8217;t look like a minor problem. It looks like addiction.
***
Jonathan Alpert is a psychotherapist in New York City and Washington, D.C., and author of the forthcoming book “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Therapy-Nation-America-Anxious-Divided/dp/1335000658" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Therapy Nation</a>.” Find him on X <a href="https://x.com/JonathanAlpert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@JonathanAlpert</a>.

Collage image of colourful bar graph

Big Tech Built A Digital Slot Machine, And Your Family Is Paying The Price

Trans-identified musician Ethel Cain is catching heat for posting risque bedroom photos which clearly show his male genitalia on Instagram despite clear community guidelines prohibiting this type of nudity. 
The 28-year-old creator first posted the images on Thursday. The post originally had no content warning, but sometime prior to Saturday received a blurred “<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DWmi69PkdTn/?img_index=1">sensitive content</a>” warning which can be circumvented with a single click by account holders of any age.
Per Instagram <a href="https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/instagram-community-guidelines-faqs">community guidelines</a>, nudity is “not allowed” on the platform, with exceptions being made only for breastfeeding, post-mastectomy scarring, and nudity appearing in sculptures or paintings.
Meta did not immediately reply to The Daily Wire’s request for comment.
Cain, whose real name is Hayden Anhedönia, has courted controversy before. He was born and raised in a Southern Baptist household and rebelled hard after turning 18, “transitioning” into a woman and beginning to create music with a dark aesthetic. 
Album releases “Inbred,” “Preacher’s Daughter” and “Willoughby Tucker, I Will Always Love You” involve violent, disturbing lyrics with taboo themes including incest, abusive religious practices, and demonic possession.
The singer was called out for wearing a “legalize incest” t-shirt and <a href="https://www.vulture.com/article/ethel-cain-response-controversy.html#:~:text=Rather%2C%20as%20a%20lonely%20and,use%20Hagerman's%20photo%20or%20name.%20%E2%80%9C">using a real missing poster</a> for a murdered child, repurposed with his own name, to promote his music. Cain apologized for wearing the shirt and for using the “n” word in the past, but at the same time defended the concept of subversive “art.” 
“‘Regarding the topic of incest in my artwork, it’s a layered experience,” he <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/12EupvuRDZBU8zw4cXU6nJI98Uu9VwmYHsFjCNpEAoSY/mobilebasic?fbclid=PAQ0xDSwLbg5FleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABp4I3WyMfcLocLsogR3FDkiC_y3HR87kVjZt42IIdr3CE9v_FF4mAsTIC8pQG_aem_mxoti7uGo6DveL_8LsPe1w&amp;pli=1">wrote</a> as part of a lengthy statement. “I have always been interested in creating art centered around the taboo.”
“While sometimes the topic of incest may get intermingled on a song with my own experiences of sexual abuse or my own familial traumas, I have never and would never fetishize such a sensitive subject,” the statement continued.
Predictably, Cain’s defenders accused any dissension about the graphic photos as being “transphobic.”
“No, Ethel Cain is not sexually harassing you by posting her d*ck. You&#8217;re just transphobic and also weird about non-sexual nudity,” one X commenter <a href="https://x.com/sapphyreblayze/status/2039793800172744727">wrote</a>.

Ethel Cain

Instagram Lets Trans Musician Post Banned Content

Celebrities

Nudity

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A Los Angeles County jury found that Meta and YouTube have contributed to growing mental health problems stemming from social media use.
The social media giants must now pay $3 million in damages over personal injury caused by its platforms. The verdict is expected to influence similar suits throughout the country filed against social media companies.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bellwether-social-media-addiction-trial-puts-instagram-youtube-and-tiktok-in-the-crosshairs">case</a> in the California Superior Court centered on a 19-year-old woman, referred to as K.G.M., who argued that social media platforms have knowingly designed their platforms to get children and young users addicted. The California jury found Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, 70% responsible for the harm to K.G.M. and YouTube 30% responsible, NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/verdict-reached-landmark-social-media-addiction-trial-rcna263421">reported</a>.
The verdict comes after a New Mexico jury handed Meta a $375m bill in civil penalties after it found the company misled consumers about the safety of its platforms. Like the landmark case in Los Angeles, the New Mexico verdict is historic on its own as the first jury trial to find Meta liable for acts committed on its platform. Like the Los Angeles Court Verdict, Meta has said it will appeal the ruling.
“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal. We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and are clear about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors or harmful content,” said a Meta spokesperson. “We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online.”
In a statement to The Daily Wire in January, YouTube said the allegations it faces in social media addiction suits “are simply not true.”
“Providing young people with a safer, healthier experience has always been core to our work,” said YouTube spokesman José Castañeda. “In collaboration with youth, mental health and parenting experts, we built services and policies to provide young people with age-appropriate experiences, and parents with robust controls. The allegations in these complaints are simply not true.”
K.G.M.&#8217;s social media addiction, which started when she was a minor, resulted in crippling depression, body dysmorphia, and suicidal thoughts, according to the lawsuit. The suit was also filed against Snapchat and TikTok, but those platforms settled with K.G.M. before the trial started. K.G.M.’s case is just the first of many that are expected to trial this year, targeting Snapchat, Meta, TikTok, and YouTube, which is owned by Google.
Social media platforms, including Meta and YouTube, have touted online safety features in recent years, such as Instagram&#8217;s &#8220;Teen Accounts&#8221; and YouTube &#8220;Kids,&#8221; which are meant to create safer and more controlled experiences for children. Yet even with these additional features, social media use for children remains a hotly debated issue.

Social Media Platforms –  Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, X, LinkedIn, Reddit, TikTok, Threads

Verdict Reached In Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial

Lawsuit

YouTube

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
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After spending 99% of her post-royal life “<a href="https://youtu.be/h6wskFMwnVA?t=77">nesting and healing</a>” in Montecito, and also trying to make us eat <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a64032811/meghan-markle-flower-sprinkles-ingredient-netflix-show/">flowers</a>, Meghan Markle’s future looks a lot less Netflix-and-chill. Previously fronting <a href="https://variety.com/2026/film/news/meghan-markle-harry-netflix-partnership-struggling-1236690802/">$60 million</a> to support Markle’s alleged “<a href="https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/meghan-markle-netflix-as-ever-netflix-divests-1236681185/">passion for elevating everyday moments in beautiful yet simple ways</a>,” the streaming giant officially dumped the duchess of Sussex and her <a href="https://www.the-independent.com/life-style/royal-family/prince-harry-hostage-meghan-markle-b2317619.html">hostage prince</a>, leaving hopes of future projects and a whole bunch of <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/royals/article-15656781/meghan-daughter-lilibet-new-photo-promote-brand-netflix.html">jars of jam</a> in a &#8220;<a href="https://genius.com/Beyonce-irreplaceable-lyrics">box to the left</a>&#8221; (lyrics by <a href="https://okmagazine.com/p/why-beyonce-backing-off-from-meghan-markle-sneaky-attempts-land-her-pal/">Beyoncé</a>, one of <a href="https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1338778-meghan-markle-snubbed-by-fake-celebrity-friends-ahead-of-major-milestone">Meg’s fake BFFs)</a>.
Within hours of Netflix breakup headlines hitting mainstream media, Markle employed her personal PR Iron Dome: posting about her kids on Instagram. Well, she posts everything but their faces. As <a href="https://people.com/princess-lilibet-makes-cameo-meghan-markle-new-as-ever-launch-11928261">People</a> breathlessly reported the moment it went live, Markle’s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DV_dLhXjbqh/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=73718fa1-c472-4a1a-8e79-54aa696f0cda">As Ever Instagram</a> account dropped a close-up shot of Markle’s hands cupping her daughter Lilibet’s hands, which held a white bloom to tease an upcoming collab with “<a href="https://highcampsupply.com/?utm_source=ig&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_content=link_in_bio&amp;fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGn1g5l-f2J_FlPhaw0PqM5IYLHTrXZVw5LrZfxVYa1c6Qzww1FPIICQgbokwY_aem_t6YJfhhq52x6VpquZyFhIQ">ephemeral luxury</a>” flower brand <a href="https://www.instagram.com/highcampgardenias/">High Camp Gardenias</a>. For when nothing but a <a href="https://asever.com/collections/shop-all/products/the-garden-tea-bloom-box">$255 limited-edition box of flowers</a>, herbs, and tea stuff will do.
Earlier that day, as if she could sense the future bad press, Markle shared an <a href="https://youtu.be/hY7_zZ2_O_0?t=32">Instagram video</a> featuring a glitch-like snippet of Lilibet’s voice, along with her shoe, and her tiny hand patting a chicken. If she can keep fans flapping in the breeze when it comes to her kids, the clickbait always works. But it feels less like she’s protecting her kids from the spotlight and more like she’s holding onto the only card she has left to play. When all else fails for Markle, I bet we’ll finally see <a href="https://www.instyle.com/prince-harry-meghan-markle-kids-archie-lilibet-11913353">Lilibet and Archie’s</a> faces. 
Probably too innocently nicknamed “sharenting,” posting about kids on social media remains a hotly debated topic, with <a href="https://mottpoll.org/reports-surveys/parents-social-media-likes-and-dislikes-sharenting">75% of parents</a> snitching on other parents for posting too much information about their kids online. Whether it’s about their location, embarrassing experiences, or inappropriate photos, an online presence can sabotage a <a href="https://www.ashburnpsych.com/what-is-sharenting-and-is-it-bad/">child’s self-confidence</a>, make them <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/know2protect/know-the-threats?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=22114696222&amp;gbraid=0AAAAAq3BANVr0-koUUiZHyLfT0rntMNMx&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwmunNBhDbARIsAOndKpl8J7UQUZb1Om68QLrVovVq9iqBPeqeESdKrIMc39UlvMPgU845ougaApAgEALw_wcB">vulnerable</a> to child predators, or worse. 
Plenty of celebrity parents succeed in keeping their kids’ lives offline. If you think about it long enough, you might remember that actors Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes actually have two daughters you never see. Responding to a fan on Instagram, <a href="https://people.com/parents/eva-mendes-wont-post-photos-daughters-until-can-give-consent/">Mendes said</a> of their kids, “I’ll talk about them of course, with limits, but I won’t post pictures of our daily life.” Halle Berry has also kept her children’s lives on lock, telling <a href="https://x.com/TODAYshow/status/1126103048282091521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1126103048282091521%7Ctwgr%5Ea8fee1dbb0517939ddd6767aaa1e875169e151e1%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fembed%3Furl%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2Ftwitter2Fstatus2F1126103048282091521id%3Dmntl-sc-block_1-0-iframeoptions%3De303DdocId%3D6027110">TODAY</a>, “It’s a safety issue. I just don’t want to plaster them all over the internet. That just doesn’t feel right for me.” 
The reason you probably can’t picture what <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/jeremyhayes/photo-strict-celeb-parents">George Clooney’s kids</a> look like — or Drew Barrymore’s, Adele’s, or Chris Hemsworth’s, for that matter — is that their faces are rarely, if ever, featured on social media. But the opposite is true for kids who aren’t just getting “sharented” on social media; they’re built into their family’s <a href="https://share.google/ItysxZElbjdFYmSx0">billion-dollar</a> brand. 
<a href="https://share.google/GGwtIv1U6lL8ctNzv">Fifteen years</a> into posting on Instagram, we’ve all been around the block enough to know how brutal the social media microscope can be. Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s oldest daughter, North West, made her <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/fDOILEOSzD/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=733a9db2-7ba2-4c6c-8425-fe90400ea051">social media debut</a> as an infant in 2013. By the ripe old age of 10 months old, she was posing with her parents for Vogue and making headlines like “<a href="https://pagesix.com/2014/03/26/north-wests-vogue-photo-shoot-faux-pas-peeing-on-kanye/">North West’s Vogue photo shoot faux pas: Peeing on Kanye</a>,” clearly aimed at humanizing the Kardashians.
Over a decade later, 12-year-old North launched her own <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DSgA9RugaXA/">Instagram </a>and a <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@kimandnorth?lang=en">TikTok account</a>, which she reportedly shares with her mom; it has 21 million followers. Recent posts show her in decidedly anti-Kardashian <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@kimandnorth/video/7605177569343786271?lang=en">blue hair</a>, finger <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/celebrity/articles/north-west-debuts-faux-septum-220134647.html">piercings</a>, fake face tattoos, and a black grill that creates the illusion of having no teeth. Is she just rebelling against her famous-for-being-famous mom? Creating an identity unrelated to her notorious rapper dad? Or just existing as a ridiculously privileged kid? Nothing’s weird when shock value is the family business.
When fans voiced concern for North’s well-being, Kim responded, “<a href="https://people.com/north-west-responds-to-criticism-of-her-dermal-piercing-11852360">It’s okay [heart hands emoji]</a>.” But as followers continue to zero in on North’s “<a href="https://thetab.com/2025/08/29/why-is-everyone-teasing-north-west-for-her-walk-the-comments-about-her-knees-need-to-stop">knock-kneed</a>” walk, the alleged <a href="https://rickeysmileymorningshow.com/3713777/kanye-west-reveals-daughter-north-west-has-dyslexia-and-bowel-issues/">&#8220;bowel&#8221; problems Kanye brought up</a>, and the <a href="https://www.eonline.com/news/1388324/north-west-shares-dyslexia-diagnosis-during-live-chat-with-mom-kim-kardashian#:~:text=North%20West%20Shares%20Dyslexia%20Diagnosis,Should%20I%20drop%20an%20album?%22">dyslexia diagnosis</a> North discussed on TikTok, &#8220;okay&#8221; doesn’t seem to paint the right picture.
It’s a similar story for kids who become regulars on other social media platforms, as the Hulu documentary &#8220;<a href="https://www.hulu.com/series/devil-in-the-family-the-fall-of-ruby-franke-302e037b-92b9-4c45-8acd-a0db60d5a159">Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke</a>” exposed. The <a href="https://kutv.com/news/local/police-records-show-multiple-responses-to-utah-youtuber-ruby-frankes-home-in-years-before-arrest-8-passengers-vlogger-springville-grama-request-child-abuse-charges-jodi-hildebrandt-dcfs">Utah-based</a> influencer family known as <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7435120/">8 Passengers</a> (two parents and six kids), headed by mom Ruby Franke, once raked in an estimated <a href="https://murdercasebook.wordpress.com/2024/12/29/ruby-franke-net-worth/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">$100,000 per month</a> on YouTube, sharing the adventures of a fun-loving <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DAheAPNORiC/">Mormon family</a>. Eight years after the channel was launched in 2015, Franke’s 12-year-old son was recorded on a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8AipFpRabo">stranger’s home security camera</a> with ligature wounds on his ankles and wrists, looking malnourished and asking for help. After a widely reported trial detailed the brutality with which Franke leveraged her children’s fame, Franke and her family therapist accomplice, Jodi Hildebrandt, were each convicted of <a href="https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/evil-influencer-the-jodi-hildebrandt-story-explained">four counts of aggravated child abuse</a> and sentenced to four consecutive <a href="https://abc7.com/post/ruby-franke-court-today-sentencing-guilty-plea-child-abuse-case/14449198/">15-year prison</a> sentences. 
Okay, I have to give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe Meghan Markle is intentionally making a solid move by not sharing much about her kids’ lives on social media until they’re old enough to decide for themselves. Still, I can&#8217;t help but wonder if she&#8217;s just waiting to cash in on the big reveal. 
In 2008, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie reportedly sold exclusive photos of their newborn twins, Vivienne and Knox, to Hello! and People magazine for <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-15059015">$14 million</a>. As ethics columnist <a href="https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/story?id=4318533&amp;page=1#:~:text=J.,of%20money%2C%20parenthood%20and%20fame.">Dr. Bruce Weinstein</a> noted, “If your own parents are literally selling you out, where can one feel safe?” 
Maybe celebrity kid pics don’t go for quite as much these days, especially if you’re driving the Sussex struggle bus. But when it comes to Meghan Markle’s kids, we’ll see how bad the press needs to be for us to get the full picture. 
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The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Is Meghan Markle Quietly Testing A New Strategy After Netflix Flop?

Meghan Markle

Cory Pesaturo isn’t the typical musician in the crowd at the Grammys. 
Firstly, He’s a three-time accordion world champion and maybe the only attendee known for his work with the box-shaped instrument popular in various folk traditions. Secondly, and perhaps making him more unique in that audience, he wasn’t infatuated with Bad Bunny and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/billie-eilish-roundly-mocked-for-stolen-land-comments-at-grammys">land acknowledgement virtue signaling</a> by millionaire celebrities.
Pesaturo shared his thoughts on his Instagram stories on February 1 as he sat in the crowd at the awards. One of the posts in question was on Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny, real name Benito Ocasio, who said during his speech: “Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say: ICE out. We are not savage. We are not animals. We are not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans … the hate gets more powerful with more hate.” 
“The first time in history an album with zero English wins the most important award, Album of the Year,” Pesaturo’s post said. “The guy who hates America… cheered on by those who hate America.”
A few Instagram stories watched by approximately 100-150 followers were enough to get him axed from Festa Italiana, which is scheduled for June 6-7 in San Francisco&#8217;s North Beach. It’s an annual, all-ages celebration hosted by The SFIAC Foundation, a <a href="https://sfiacfoundation.org/">nonprofit</a> that’s “focused on community events, revitalization and engagement that enhances the Italian culture and history of North Beach.”
Another post defended the idea of colonization, suggesting that without it, Native Americans would still be stuck with ancient methods. 
&#8220;Only a hundred to one hundred fifty people watch my stories,&#8221; Pesaturo insisted during an interview with The Daily Wire. 
After Pesaturo posted his Grammy commentary, a member of the festival&#8217;s board was rumored to be unhappy with the post. His closest contact at the festival called to break the news: they weren&#8217;t going to have him perform as planned at the 2026 show.
He claims the reasoning for his cancellation came down to fear from the person in charge.
&#8220;He doesn&#8217;t want to deal with the bullsh*t of the people on his board that do not want to hire me because of… what I could say,&#8221; Pesaturo explained. &#8220;They&#8217;re worried you&#8217;re going to come to the festival, not have a good time, and then start attacking us.&#8221;
Pesaturo&#8217;s cancellation is just the latest example of how the woke mob operates, not through official channels or public debate, but through back-channel pressure on people who would rather avoid conflict. The festival organizer wasn&#8217;t willing to defend Pesaturo. He preferred to cater to the ones who make the most noise.
Pesaturo, who describes himself as &#8220;anti-leftist&#8221; and “more libertarian” rather than conservative or Republican, has always been careful about where and how he expresses political opinions. 
&#8220;I do not believe in that idea at all,&#8221; he said about celebrities using their platforms to push political views. &#8220;Do you want the waitress coming over to give you French toast to say, oh, before I give you this, I want to tell you my opinion on abortion? Nobody would agree to that.&#8221;
&#8220;So I never say anything social or political at a concert,” he continued. “You will never find a clip of me saying anything remotely controversial there.&#8221; 
The only place he posts opinion content is on Instagram stories, which automatically disappear after 24 hours and are viewed by a tiny fraction of his followers.
The musician expressed shock that Italians of all people would punish him for expressing mainstream conservative viewpoints since that demographic leans heavily to the right of center. 
&#8220;Italians came here with nothing, with no welfare … were discriminated against. And it&#8217;s the ultimate pull yourself up by your bootstraps legacy that Italians came here,&#8221; Pesaturo told The Daily Wire. &#8220;So they&#8217;re mostly conservative. They hate free money going out. They hate paying taxes.&#8221;
Organizers for the festival did not return The Daily Wire’s request for comment.
The musician is particularly upset that this happened with Festa Italiana. Pesaturo mentioned another festival he headlines annually that’s &#8220;as left as it gets,” mentioning how he has no problems there despite having opposite political views compared to almost everyone involved. &#8220;The head of the festival is pretty left. And we&#8217;re very good friends. And I&#8217;m the headliner every year.&#8221;
When I asked if he would change anything he posted, his answer was unequivocal: &#8220;No, I mean, this is what I told him. I said I will not be silenced. Especially when everyone in my industry is forcing things upon people.&#8221;
&#8220;He just didn&#8217;t want to deal with [the drama]. It&#8217;s kind of the same story,&#8221; Pesaturo said. &#8220;They don&#8217;t want to deal with the woke bullsh** around them. So instead of fighting, they just say, yeah, we&#8217;re going to bow to them.&#8221;
And that&#8217;s how a world-class musician got canceled from an Italian festival for Instagram stories seen by about 100 people. It’s because even when conservatives are in power, standing up to the woke mob is often seen as more trouble than it’s worth.

Corey Pesaturo Bad Bunny

How Criticizing Bad Bunny Got A World Champion Musician Dropped From A Festival

Bad Bunny

Leftist

Music

San Francisco

Super Bowl

“Real Housewives of New York City” cast member Jill Zarin has been fired from the E! reunion series “The Golden Life” for what’s been described as a “racist&#8221; rant against Bad Bunny and his Super Bowl Halftime performance.
The reunion show “The Golden Life” was announced on February 3 and hasn’t begun production yet, per Variety, but the reality show star won’t be part of it because of what she shared on social media. The outlet referred to Zarin&#8217;s comments as a &#8220;racist Bad Bunny tirade.&#8221; 
Blink49 Studios issued a <a href="https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/jill-zarin-fired-rhony-reunion-the-golden-life-after-bad-bunny-video-1236657606/">statement</a> about the situation on Tuesday that read: “In light of recent public comments made by Jill Zarin, Blink49 Studios has decided not to move forward with her involvement in ‘The Golden Life.’ We remain committed to delivering the series in line with our company standards and values.”
The “racist&#8221; rant is a since-deleted video shared to Instagram, echoing what most other Super Bowl Halftime show viewers were saying about the performance, which was all in Spanish. Zarin’s video was captured and re-posted on X. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Jill Zarin’s review of Bad Bunny’s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SuperBowl?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SuperBowl</a> Halftime Show… 🥴 <a href="https://t.co/XH8f0HjQpI">pic.twitter.com/XH8f0HjQpI</a>
— Gibson Johns (@gibsonoma) <a href="https://twitter.com/gibsonoma/status/2020698535709343948?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“We all agree… it was the worst halftime show ever. It’s 250 years that we’re celebrating right now in the United States, and I just don’t think it was appropriate to have it in Spanish.” 
The “Real Housewives” alum also stated that she found it “totally inappropriate” for Bad Bunny to repeatedly grab his crotch during the performance, which “young kids” were watching. “And he doesn’t have to be grabbing himself every five seconds: Is he so insecure?” Zarin, who said she doesn’t speak Spanish, said his performance “looked like a political statement, because there were literally no white people in the entire thing.”
“I think it was a political statement, and I’m not taking a side one way or the other,” the reality star added. “I just do. I think it was an ICE thing.” Zarin said it was “very sad” that the NFL had “sold out.”
“Shame!” she added.
After being fired from the show, the “Real Housewives” alum defended herself in a <a href="https://www.intouchweekly.com/jill-zarin-breaks-silence-after-being-fired-from-rhony-reunion-show-for-bad-bunny-comments-im-human-exclusive/">statement</a> to InTouch, saying “The Golden Life” producers “didn’t even give me a chance.” 
“I took it down right away,” she said of the Instagram reaction video. “People make mistakes. I’m human.”

Jill Zarin

‘Real Housewives’ Star Canned From Reunion Show For Criticizing Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show

Entertainment

Halftime Show

Real Housewives

Reality stars

Reality TV

Three of the world&#8217;s largest social media platforms are heading to court on Tuesday as they defend themselves in a bellwether social media addiction case.
The California Superior Court in Los Angeles County is set to hear the case, which alleges that Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have contributed to the growing problem of social media addiction and the mental health issues that stem from it. TikTok and Snapchat were also sued in the case, but settled with the plaintiff before the trial began. 
Jury selection for the trial begins on Tuesday, with opening arguments scheduled for next week. The case is part of a coordinated effort across the country that includes hundreds of similar cases where litigants accuse social media giants of fueling addiction.
In the case before the California Superior Court, a 19-year-old woman, referred to as K.G.M., argues that social media platforms have knowingly designed their platforms to get children and young users addicted. Studies have shown that social media features such as autoplay and infinite scroll induce a dopamine hit, which can lead to users spending hours on platforms each day.
K.G.M.&#8217;s social media addiction <a href="https://www.carriermanagement.com/news/2025/10/21/280613.htm">resulted</a> in crippling depression, body dysmorphia, and suicidal thoughts, according to the lawsuit. K.G.M.&#8217;s case is just the first of many that are expected to trial this year, targeting Snapchat, Meta, TikTok, and YouTube, which is owned by Google. Snapchat settled with K.G.M., but it remains a defendant in numerous other social media cases that are set to go before state and federal courts.
YouTube told The Daily Wire that the allegations it faces in the cases “are simply not true.”
“Providing young people with a safer, healthier experience has always been core to our work,” said YouTube spokesman José Castañeda. “In collaboration with youth, mental health and parenting experts, we built services and policies to provide young people with age-appropriate experiences, and parents with robust controls. The allegations in these complaints are simply not true.”
The Daily Wire also reached out to Snapchat, TikTok, and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram. Snapchat told The Daily Wire that it was &#8220;pleased&#8221; to have settled the K.G.M. case in &#8220;an amicable manner.&#8221;
The K.G.M trial will likely put Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on the witness stand, where he will have to answer questions in front of a jury. Meta’s lawyers <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/meta-tiktok-youtube-stand-trial-youth-addiction-claims-2026-01-26/">told</a> Reuters that the social media giant will argue before the court that its platform did not lead to K.G.M’s mental health issues. YouTube said it will argue that its platform is different from those of the other defendants and shouldn&#8217;t be considered in the same case as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
The California Superior Court trial could shape public opinion on social media platforms moving forward as the companies face more trials, including one in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, which is set to begin on June 12. The lawsuit before the federal court was filed by school districts, which argue that social media addiction fueled by social media companies “not only harms individual children and their loved ones but also causes substantial and financially burdensome interference with school district, county, and municipal operations.”
In recent years, Meta has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ig-introduces-teen-accounts-with-built-in-privacy-settings-to-better-support-parents">rolled out</a> online safety features for children using Instagram. The platform&#8217;s &#8220;Teen Accounts&#8221; keep children&#8217;s accounts private, meaning other Instagram users cannot see posts from or contact a Teen Account unless the teenager accepts their follow requests. Instagram also censors content on Teen Accounts, so that children are not shown content that features fighting or cosmetic procedures.
TikTok, meanwhile, <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/support/faq_detail?id=7543604789335071238&amp;category=web_account">created</a> &#8220;a separate TikTok experience specifically designed&#8221; for kids under 13 years old. The &#8220;TikTok Under 13 Experience&#8221; curates content that is more appropriate for young children, makes all accounts private, and limits screen time to one hour. YouTube also has a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/intl/ALL_us/kids/safer-experience/">kids version</a> of the platform that is &#8220;designed to be a safer and simpler place for kids to explore their interests through online video.&#8221; YouTube requires videos uploaded on YouTube Kids to be &#8220;family-friendly.&#8221;
The effects of social media on children has become a hot topic in recent years, and the issue gained more attention after the book, &#8220;The Anxious Generation,&#8221; by Jonathan Haidt was published in 2024. In the book, Haidt, a social psychologist, argues that anxiety and depression skyrocketed in the past 15 years, coinciding with what he calls the &#8220;great rewiring of childhood,&#8221; which is the flip from a play-based childhood to a phone-based childhood.
The social media addiction case in California comes as some countries move to ban social media for children. Last month, Australia became the first nation in the world to ban social media for kids under 16. Malaysia has introduced a similar social media ban, and Utah passed a law in 2024 requiring social media platforms to verify a users&#8217; age and obtain parental consent, but parts of the law were temporarily blocked by a federal judge.
This article was updated after TikTok settled with K.G.M. shortly before the trial started.

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Meta Platforms on Monday named former Trump administration official Dina Powell McCormick as its president and vice chairman, boosting the company&#8217;s lobbying efforts in the U.S. capital.
President Donald Trump congratulated Powell McCormick in a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115882511750475574">post</a> on his Truth Social account minutes after the company announced her promotion.
&#8220;Congratulations to DINA POWELL MCCORMICK, WHO HAS JUST BEEN NAMED THE NEW PRESIDENT OF META. A great choice by Mark Z!!! She is a fantastic, and very talented, person, who served the Trump Administration with strength and distinction!&#8221; the president wrote.
Her appointment is the latest in a series of changes Meta has made in the last year that more closely align the company with the Trump administration. Meta is accelerating investments in frontier AI and personal superintelligence. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is seeking Trump&#8217;s support to build data centers and energy capacity for those projects.
Zuckerberg, ahead of Trump&#8217;s second inauguration, visited him at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. His company also scrapped its U.S. fact-checking program, elevated Republican Joel Kaplan as the company&#8217;s new chief global affairs officer, and ended its diversity programs, all moves that appealed to Trump. Meta in early January hired former Trump trade adviser C.J. Mahoney to lead its legal team, replacing general counsel Jennifer Newstead, who served in former President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration.
Meta declined to comment on whether Powell McCormick&#8217;s appointment is intended to appeal to Trump.
She will help Meta expand its data centers, build new strategic capital partnerships, and increase the company&#8217;s &#8220;long-term investment capacity,&#8221; according to a company statement.
Powell McCormick spent 16 years in senior leadership roles at Goldman Sachs. She served as deputy national security adviser to Trump in his first term, and as a senior White House adviser under former President George W. Bush. Her husband is U.S. Senator David McCormick, a Pennsylvania Republican who chairs the Senate subcommittee responsible for energy policy &#8211; an area in which she will be involved at Meta.
The senator will &#8220;continue to comply with all U.S. Senate ethics rules,&#8221; his spokesperson Katy Montgomery said by email.
&#8220;Senator McCormick should recuse himself from every vote or committee action that involves Meta&#8217;s business,&#8221; said Sacha Haworth, executive director at the Tech Oversight Project, a group that has criticized the industry.
Powell McCormick&#8217;s role echoes efforts by previous Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, who, during her tenure, leveraged deep ties to the Washington establishment and the Democratic Party to help the company navigate scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators.
Powell McCormick resigned from Meta&#8217;s board in December, just eight months after joining.
Meta has been scrambling to stay relevant in Silicon Valley&#8217;s artificial-intelligence race after its Llama 4 model met with a poor reception. It committed as much as $72 billion in 2025 capital spending.
(Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru and Courtney Rozen in Washington; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli, Chris Reese and Matthew Lewis)

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Australia will soon become the first nation to ban children under 16 from creating accounts on many social media platforms, but the law is already facing criticism as some platforms will be excluded.
Beginning on Wednesday, December 10, Australia will require social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube, to take &#8220;reasonable steps&#8221; to block children under 16 years old from creating accounts. Any platform that fails to restrict children under 16 from gaining access could face civil penalties of up to $49.5 million, according to the government&#8217;s <a href="https://www.esafety.gov.au/newsroom/media-releases/platforms-on-notice-to-comply-with-social-media-minimum-age">eSafety Commissioner</a>.
&#8220;We haven&#8217;t really seen a plan like this be put into action,&#8221; said Jessica Melugin, the director of the Center for Technology &amp; Innovation at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. &#8220;So I think the world is certainly watching.&#8221;
Along with Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube, the Australian government also lists Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, and X as &#8220;age-restricted&#8221; social media platforms. Numerous social media platforms, however, will not be affected by the law, including messaging platforms and gaming apps such as Discord, Roblox, and Steam. Australia&#8217;s decision to keep those platforms off its age-restricted list has raised more questions about whether the law will keep children away from online harm.
&#8220;It is a little bit of a red flag. I don&#8217;t agree with doing it this way at all, but it does make it harder for the government to make its case when you have gaming apps and AI chatbots exempted,&#8221; said Melugin. &#8220;It seems like a strange line to draw.&#8221;
The Australian government says the new law is popular with parents and would reduce the number of risks that children are exposed to online, the BBC <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyp9d3ddqyo">reported</a>.
&#8220;Delaying children’s access to social media accounts gives them valuable time to learn and grow, free of the powerful, unseen forces of harmful and deceptive design features such as opaque algorithms and endless scroll,&#8221; said Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman. &#8220;This important normative change will be invaluable to parents and young people alike – creating friction or a check in the online ecosystem that previously did not exist.&#8221;
To support its move, the Australian government cited a <a href="https://www.esafety.gov.au/research/the-online-experiences-of-children-in-australia/snapshot-content-associated-with-harm">study</a> that it commissioned earlier this year, which found that more than 70% of children between 10-15 who use social media are exposed to harmful content. The government says that harmful online content includes &#8220;sexist, misogynistic or hateful content, content depicting dangerous online challenges or fight videos, or content that encourages unhealthy eating or exercise habits.&#8221;
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The first-of-its-kind law is already receiving some strong pushback.
Melugin told The Daily Wire that she has some major concerns about the new law.
&#8220;We live in a digital world. That&#8217;s how you are going to maybe find your partner one day. It&#8217;s probably how you&#8217;re going to find a job one day, maybe how you promote yourself or your business, maybe how you keep in touch with friends and pursue your interests,&#8221; Melugin said.
She added that the law could create a &#8220;false sense of security&#8221; for parents, who she argues would take a step back from monitoring their children&#8217;s social media. &#8220;They think, &#8216;Well, the government has now stepped in with its magic wand and silver bullet and now everything is safe,&#8217; which certainly won&#8217;t be the case,&#8221; Melugin added.
Melugin argued that the best way to keep children safe online is for parents to keep having conversations with their kids on &#8220;how to keep yourself safe online, how to avoid making mistakes online.&#8221;
Australia&#8217;s exclusions for Roblox, Discord, Steam, and other platforms have also come under scrutiny. Roblox, an online gaming platform marketed toward children, has been criticized for <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2024-roblox-pedophile-problem/">allowing</a> adults to use the platform alongside children, and even the Australian government has acknowledged that Roblox has given pedophiles an open door to &#8220;groom children.&#8221;
Roblox was also sued by Texas last month, with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton calling the children&#8217;s gaming platform “a habitual destination for child predators.”
An Australian government official told The Daily Wire that &#8220;gaming and messaging services were excluded under the legislative rules.&#8221; The official also directed The Daily Wire to a press release from September, showing that Roblox <a href="https://www.esafety.gov.au/newsroom/media-releases/roblox-commits-to-lift-game-to-protect-kids-from-online-grooming-under-australias-world-leading-online-safety-codes-and-standards">committed</a> to introduce new safety measures for its site in response to concerns raised by the Australian government.
“We know that when it comes to platforms that are popular with children, they also become popular with adult predators seeking to prey on them. Roblox is no exception and has become a popular target for pedophiles seeking to groom children,&#8221; Inman said at the time. “We’ve been engaging with Roblox on this issue for several months to make it clear to the platform that under Australian law they are required to take meaningful action to prioritize the protection of children.&#8221;
Discord has also faced scrutiny for allowing child sex predators, extremists, and terrorists who <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/discord-messages-server-dhs-terror-extremist-charlie-kirk-fbi-patel-rcna232377">target</a> children.
Some of the social media giants affected by Australia&#8217;s new law have blasted the government&#8217;s strategy. Meta argues that families, not the government, should &#8220;decide which apps teens can access.&#8221;
“To comply with Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age Law, teens under 16 will begin losing access to Facebook, Instagram, and Threads next month. While we’re committed to meeting our legal obligations, we’ve consistently raised concerns about this law,&#8221; a Meta spokesman told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Experts, youth groups, and many parents agree that blanket bans are not the solution—they isolate teens from online communities and information, while providing inconsistent protection across the many apps they use. There’s a better way: legislation that empowers parents to approve app downloads and verify age allows families—not the government—to decide which apps teens can access.&#8221;
Meta believes its &#8220;teen accounts,&#8221; which were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ig-introduces-teen-accounts-with-built-in-privacy-settings-to-better-support-parents">introduced</a> last year, are effective at keeping children safe online by putting parents in control and limiting who can contact children on social media.
Australia&#8217;s new law is already facing a legal challenge brought on behalf of two 15-year-old Australians who argue that the law robs them of their right to free speech, according to the BBC.
&#8220;We shouldn&#8217;t be silenced. It&#8217;s like Orwell&#8217;s book 1984, and that scares me,&#8221; said 15-year-old Macy Neyland.
Noah Jones, the other 15-year-old pushing back against the law, added, &#8220;We are the true digital natives and we want to remain educated, robust, and savvy in our digital world. &#8230; They should protect kids with safeguards, not silence.&#8221;
The Daily Wire reached out to the prime minister&#8217;s office for comment.
Following Australia&#8217;s move to ban some social media for kids, Malaysia introduced a similar ban. In the United States, Utah passed a law last year requiring social media platforms to verify a user&#8217;s age and obtain parental consent. Parts of the Utah law, however, have been temporarily <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/utah-law-restricting-youth-social-media-use-blocked-by-judge-2024-09-11/">blocked</a> by a federal judge.

Australia’s Novel Social Media Ban For Kids Sparks Debate As Some Platforms Get A Free Pass

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