Woman whose son died from drugs bought on social media celebrates verdicts against Meta ...
Summary
A Colorado woman, Kimberly Osterman, celebrated recent verdicts against Meta and YouTube, which were found liable for harms to children due to platform design. Her son, Max Osterman, died in 2021 at age 18 after purchasing a fentanyl-laced pill through Snapchat. In Los Angeles, a jury ruled that Meta and YouTube designed their platforms to hook young users, and in New Mexico, Meta was found to have knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed information about child sexual exploitation. Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, and TikTok settled before the Los Angeles trial began. Osterman is part of Parents for Safe Online Spaces, advocating for the Kids Online Safety Act, which would require social media platforms to take steps to prevent harm to minors. The drug dealer who sold Max the pill was sentenced to six years in prison in 2023.
Incident Details
Harms involving the exploitation, abuse, or endangerment of minors, including CSAM and grooming.