Category: Social Media

Taylor Frankie Paul, Public Backlash, and The Bachelorette: Contract Law in the Age of Social Media

Kennedy Aikey examines the legal implications of ABC’s abrupt cancellation of a fully filmed season of The Bachelorette following the resurfacing of a domestic violence incident involving its lead, Taylor Frankie Paul. The piece analyzes whether ABC and Disney acted within their contractual rights, focusing on the likely presence and scope of a morality clause and how reputational harm provisions function in an era where social media can rapidly amplify public outrage

Elon Musk’s Twitter Acquisition: Securities Fraud Regulation on Social Media

Stella Brocker analyzes a recent class-action lawsuit against Elon Musk, where a jury found that he committed securities fraud during his 2022 Twitter acquisition. She analyzes whether Musk’s actions legally constituted securities fraud and the broader policy implications of this verdict. Ultimately, she argues that the current securities fraud regulations should be modified to allow for actions brought under a lower standard of culpability to hold rich and powerful actors accountable for negligent behavior on social media.

Is Social Media the Next Big Tobacco? Public Nuisance Litigation and the Limits of Section 230

Kennedy Aikey examines the growing wave of litigation against major social media companies, specifically the recent case holding Meta and YouTube liable, and asks whether social media could become the next Big Tobacco. She explores how plaintiffs use nuisance theories to argue that platforms such as Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap Inc. intentionally designed addictive platforms that harm youth mental health. She also analyzes whether claims that focus on the design of social media platforms, rather than on user-generated content, could allow plaintiffs to bypass the liability shield created by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

Legislating in the Digital Age: Ohio’s Attempt to Implement Age-Based Restrictions on Access to Social Media Platforms

In this article, Stella Brocker explores a currently blocked Ohio law that would impose age-based restrictions on social media usage, causing such use by minors to be subject to parental consent. She analyzes the constitutional issues implicated by such legislation and considers alternative regulatory strategies for lawmakers that may be better suited to address the harms associated with youth social media use and access.

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