India, April 19 -- Even as Gen Z appears to have intuitively decided posting online is passe and India ponders social media bans, courts in the US have taken a strong stand, holding social media platforms liable for online harms, addiction, and its health ramifications. The Los Angeles county superior court's recent verdict in KGM v. Meta et al (KGM) could prove a watershed moment for a clear-eyed re-examination of intermediary liability. The raison d'etre of safe-harbour exemptions is often lost as social media platforms transition into business behemoths.

KGM has sparked a long-delayed deep dive into the functioning and controlling interests driving social media. KGM is not the lone judicial decision pointing fingers at social media pl...