Eric Goldman

Eric Goldman appears in Is social media addictive? And are social media companies liable? as the expert explaining a Los Angeles trial over alleged social-media addiction and youth mental-health harms. His contribution is to shift the frame from general platform criticism to legal proof: plaintiffs have to show Platform Legal Causation, not merely that young people were harmed or that platform design influenced behavior.

Goldman also broadens the stakes beyond the named defendants. He argues that social-media litigation could alter internet users’ experience by changing product design, pricing, platform availability, and communication tools. He expects Section 230 to return on appeal and warns that legal theories developed against social media could become Internet Liability Spillover for video games, generative AI model makers, and other internet services.

Connections

• Marketplace Tech - show context for the interview.
• Social Media Product Liability, Social Media Causation Science Wars, and Addictive Interaction Design - legal and design branch he discusses.
• Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat - platforms named in the episode’s litigation discussion.
• Platform Legal Causation, Section 230, and Internet Liability Spillover - main concepts tied to his analysis.