A podcast episode features investigative journalist Katy McQue discussing why, after years of being effectively untouchable in court, Meta is now facing a wave of successful legal challenges over the harms its platforms allegedly cause to children. She tells Annie Kelly that prosecutors appear to have found a new legal strategy, focusing not on the content Meta hosts but on the design of its platforms themselves, which has helped break through the barriers that previously shielded the company from litigation.

Three landmark US cases have brought Meta to trial in 2026: one in New Mexico concerning child sexual exploitation, which drew on McQue's own reporting; one in California over the mental health harms suffered by young users; and a third, unprecedented case that Meta settled for $18bn just last week. McQue notes this shift follows years of evidence gathered by journalists, prosecutors and bereaved families that had previously failed to result in successful legal action.