Today in Focus Meta Why Meta started losing in court - podcast Katy McQue, who has spent years reporting on Meta and the potential harms its platforms pose to children, explains the tactics being used by prosecutors
More ways to listen Apple podcasts Spotify RSS Feed Download Presented by Annie Kelly with Katy McQue; produced by Ruth Abrahams , Guy Szafman and Brian McNamara ; executive producers Sami Kent and Alex Atack Mon 7 Sep 2026 04.00 CEST Share For years, the investigative journalist Katy McQue has been reporting on the potential harms Meta’s platforms pose to children.
Yet, as she explains to Annie Kelly , despite the mountain of evidence compiled by journalists, prosecutors, bereaved families and others, it has been nearly impossible to bring Meta and other social media companies to court.
Finally, in 2026, something seems to have changed. Already three landmark cases have brought Meta to trial in the US: in New Mexico, which cited Katy’s reporting on child sexual exploitation; in California, about the mental health harms to young people; and last week, an unprecedented case that Meta settled for $18bn.
In all three, prosecutors seem to have found a new way to argue against Meta; an argument based not on the content it publishes, but on the very design of its platforms.