For years, social media companies have relied on an impenetrable first amendment protection to shield them from legal claims that their products are dangerous to children.

But now, a cluster of plaintiffs are trying a different tact.

Cecilia Kang, who covers technology, explains why these new lawsuits pose an existential threat to social media giants, and how those companies are likely to defend themselves.

Guest: Cecilia Kang, a reporter covering technology and regulatory policy for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• Here’s what to know about the social media addiction trials.
• TikTok reached an agreement to settle a lawsuit, avoiding the first in a series of landmark trials.

Photo: David Gray/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.