US Court: Meta and YouTube built addictive platforms: BBC Learning English from the News

0:00 From BBC Learning English.

0:02 This is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines.

0:06 In this programme,

0:07 YouTube and Meta intentionally built addictive platforms, US court finds.

0:17 Hello, I'm Becca.

0:18 And I'm Georgie.

0:19 In this podcast, we look at one big news story

0:22 and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it.

0:26 You can find all the vocabulary and headlines from this episode,

0:30 as well as a worksheet, on our website, bbclearningenglish.com

0:35 So, let's hear more about this story.

0:42 Meta and YouTube have been found legally responsible

0:45 for creating addictive platforms.

0:48 Meta is the company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

0:52 Kaley, known only by her first name,

0:55 started the lawsuit against them in Los Angeles in the United States,

0:59 claiming that they had negatively impacted her mental health.

1:02 She received $6 million in damages.

1:06 Since the age of nine,

1:07 Kaley experienced struggles with her family and at school.

1:11 She added that these platforms made these struggles worse

1:14 and left her with depression and unhealthy thoughts about herself.

1:18 A Meta spokesperson told the BBC that

1:21 these complex teenage struggles could not be blamed on using their platforms.

1:26 A spokesperson from Google, the owner of YouTube,

1:28 told the BBC that their platform had been misunderstood because they're

1:32 'not a social media site'.

1:34 Kaley's court finding came a day after a separate trial in New Mexico,

1:39 which ordered Meta to pay $375 million

1:44 for misleading people about the child safety of their platforms.

1:48 Meta argued that it's worked over the years to fight these problems

1:51 and promoted safe experiences for young people.

1:55 Our first headline is about what these court findings mean

1:59 for the future of social media.

2:01 This one is from BBC News.

2:03 'We're having a moment'-

2:04 fear and denial in Silicon Valley over social media addiction trial.

2:09 And that headline again from BBC News.

2:11 'We're having a moment'-

2:13 fear and denial in Silicon Valley over social media addiction trial.

2:17 So, this headline highlights the feeling of fear that some tech companies

2:21 are experiencing because of Kaley's trial about social media addiction.

2:26 Yes, it mentions Silicon Valley.

2:28 Silicon Valley is the place

2:30 where many of the world's leading tech companies are.

2:33 We're going to focus on this phrase that someone in Silicon Valley said,

2:37 and that is, 'We're having a moment'.

2:39 What can you tell us about this phrase?

2:41 Well, a moment is a short period of time.

2:44 If you're having a moment in this context,

2:47 it means you're overwhelmed by strong emotions and

2:50 that you need to take a metaphorical pause from the situation.

2:54 So here, people working in Silicon Valley are likely to be worried

2:58 about what this trial means for their industry.

3:01 They're having a moment.

3:03 Another quite different meaning of this phrase,

3:05 having a moment, is to say that something is popular or fashionable

3:09 for a short time.

3:10 For example, I've seen lots of people wearing oversized jeans.

3:15 Oversized jeans must be having a moment.

3:19 We've had having a moment-

3:21 experiencing strong emotions for a short time.

3:25 For example, I'm sorry for how I reacted earlier,

3:29 I was stressed, I was having a moment.

3:35 This is Learning English from the News from BBC Learning English.

3:38 We're talking about the recent Meta and YouTube trial

3:41 about social media addiction.

3:44 As we've heard, Kaley was awarded $6 million

3:47 as a result of the case against Meta and Google, the owner of YouTube.

3:52 It's thought that the financial punishment for the companies is small,

3:56 as each is worth trillions of dollars.

3:58 However, the decision represents the first time any social media platform

4:03 is being held responsible for damages caused by social media addiction.

4:07 And this is what our next headline is about.

4:10 This headline is from CNN, a news organisation from the US.

4:15 Meta and YouTube found liable in social media addiction trial.

4:19 And that headline again, Meta and YouTube found liable

4:22 in social media addiction trial.

4:24 And that's from CNN, a media organisation in the United States.

4:29 We're looking at the phrase 'found liable'.

4:32 Yes.

4:32 If something is liable, it is responsible for something.

4:35 So the sense in this headline is that Meta and YouTube are responsible

4:39 for Kaley's social media addiction.

4:42 Liable is often used in law, such as in trials and in court,

4:46 and the phrase 'find liable' means the action

4:49 of deciding who is responsible for something.

4:52 You might also see the word 'liable' after the verb 'hold'

4:55 and before the preposition 'for'.

4:58 If you hold someone liable for something,

5:00 you are making them responsible for a specific action.

5:03 This is a very formal, legal expression,

5:06 but in everyday speech, we're more likely to say

5:09 that something is someone's fault or they are to blame.

5:12 Yes.

5:12 So it's your fault we're late.

5:14 You didn't set the alarm.

5:15 You're to blame.

5:18 We've had 'find liable'- legally decide that someone

5:22 or something is responsible.

5:24 For example, the company was found liable for not paying tax.

5:32 This is Learning English from the News from BBC Learning English.

5:36 We're talking about the trial of Meta and YouTube.

5:39 The case that Kaley brought found that the companies knew their

5:42 platform designs were dangerous for people under the age of 18,

5:46 but failed to give warnings about those risks.

5:49 These kinds of cases are expected to grow,

5:52 and this case in particular is historic as it's the first of its kind.

5:56 And here's another headline.

5:58 This one is from The Independent,

6:00 a British newspaper.

6:02 Meta and YouTube found liable on all counts

6:05 in landmark trial that could reshape the future of social media.

6:09 And that headline again from The Independent: Meta and YouTube

6:13 found liable on all counts

6:14 in landmark trial that could reshape the future of social media.

6:18 So, we know that these platforms have been found liable, and

6:22 on all counts means in every way or entirely.

6:25 But we're going to focus on the verb 'reshape'.

6:28 What does it mean, Becca?

6:29 Well, if we physically shape something, we make it become a particular shape.

6:34 We can also metaphorically shape a belief, idea or someone's character,

6:38 that is, we influence it.

6:40 Yes.

6:41 The prefix re- is added to the beginning of words, usually verbs,

6:45 to show that something is being done again-

6:47 it's repeated or could be returning to its original state.

6:51 So when the headline said that the trial could reshape the future

6:55 of social media, it means that our ideas and beliefs

6:59 about social media are changed or influenced in some way.

7:06 We've had reshape- make something again in a different form.

7:10 For example, the Covid pandemic reshaped the world of work.

7:14 That's it for this episode of Learning English from the News.

7:17 We'll be back next week with another news story.

7:20 Try the worksheet on our website to test what you've learned

7:23 at bbclearningenglish.com and you can also

7:27 follow us on social media @BBCLearningEnglish.

7:30 Bye for now.

7:31 Goodbye.