1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,320 Hey everybody, welcome to STRONGER Weekly brought to you 2 00:00:02,320 --> 00:00:05,440 by Purest Nutrition. I'm your host, Jesse Carajet. 3 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:07,800 Thank you so much for being here. 4 00:00:07,800 --> 00:00:10,880 This week, something historic happened on Wednesday, March 5 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:15,880 25th, 2026, a California jury found that Meta and YouTube 6 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:19,800 liable for knowingly designing addictive platforms that harmed 7 00:00:20,080 --> 00:00:23,200 young people in America. And they were ordered to pay $6 8 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:27,560 million in damage. And now there are over 2000 9 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:31,080 pending similar lawsuits waiting in the wings, including from 10 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:35,040 school districts, parents, state attorneys and people all over 11 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:36,840 the country. They're just lining up, folks. 12 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:41,720 And this could be what's being called big techs, big Tobacco 13 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:44,520 moment. And today we're breaking down 14 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:48,720 exactly what happened and what it could mean for the future of 15 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:51,320 social media. So more on that in just a 16 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:54,200 moment. But first, here are the other 17 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:57,360 health and fitness headlines that you need to know this week. 18 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:01,520 Let's dive in. All right, folks. 19 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:04,879 First up, huge news from the Olympics community. 20 00:01:04,879 --> 00:01:07,760 The International Olympic Committee announced a major 21 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:11,520 policy change this week. Starting with the 2028 Los 22 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:15,480 Angeles Summer Games, eligibility for woman's events 23 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:20,440 will be limited. To get this biological females, 24 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:25,560 the policy uses a one time Sri accurate gene screening test, 25 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,480 which is a simple saliva, cheek swab or blood test to determine 26 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:31,640 the biological sex of the athlete. 27 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:35,880 The IOC says it's research shows that male sex development 28 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:40,520 converse a 10 to 12% performance advantage in running and 29 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:45,880 swimming events and up to 20% advantage or more in throwing 30 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:48,960 and jumping. IOC President Kirsty Coventry, a 31 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:51,120 former Olympic swimmer, said quote. 32 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:55,120 It is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological 33 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:58,280 males to compete in the female category in our events. 34 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:02,160 In addition, in some sports, it would simply not be safe. 35 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:05,280 The policy does not apply to grassroots or recreational 36 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:07,960 sports, only elite Olympic competition. 37 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:12,800 Next up, I really hate saying the C word, but unfortunately I 38 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:15,640 have to this week, and I'm talking about COVID, of course. 39 00:02:15,640 --> 00:02:19,400 Health officials are tracking a new COVID-19 variant that's been 40 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:23,520 quietly spreading and has a fitting nickname, Cicada, like 41 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:26,200 it's namesake insect. This variant, officially called 42 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:30,840 the BA 3.2, spent years underground before re emerging. 43 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:34,480 First identified in South Africa in late 2024, it's now been 44 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:37,640 detected in at least 25 U.S. states in 23 countries. 45 00:02:37,920 --> 00:02:42,480 In parts of Europe, it's driving up to 30% of new COVID cases. 46 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:46,080 The concern cicada is heavily mutated, which may help it 47 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:49,000 escape immunity from vaccines or prior infections. 48 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:50,720 The good news? There's no evidence that causes 49 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:54,400 more severe disease, and current antiviral treatments still work, 50 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:58,600 Doctor Andrew Picose of Johns Hopkins told Today Quote. 51 00:02:58,920 --> 00:03:02,280 It looks scary on paper, but it hasn't really made a big impact 52 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:04,200 in terms of disease in most places yet. 53 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:07,960 Bottom line, keep an eye on it, but no need to panic. 54 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:13,960 COVID is still in the headlines. Next up, a new and massive study 55 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:18,000 finds that stress and or grief do not 'cause cancer. 56 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:21,120 So you've probably heard someone say stress can give you cancer. 57 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:24,320 It's a common belief, but a new large scale study says there's 58 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:27,680 no evidence to support it. Published in the journal Cancer, 59 00:03:27,920 --> 00:03:32,160 researchers analyzed data from more than 421,000 people across 60 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:34,480 multiple countries. They looked at psychosocial 61 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:37,440 factors like depression, anxiety, grief, relationship 62 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:40,720 status, social support, and tracked eventually developed 63 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:42,040 cancer. The result? 64 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:46,280 No psychosocial factor was associated with an elevated risk 65 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:50,480 of overall cancer or breast, prostate or colorectal cancer. 66 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:53,560 Specifically, when small effects were observed, they were 67 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:57,320 explained by unhealthy behaviors like smoking or drinking. 68 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:00,080 So in other words, this study shows that mental health 69 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:04,880 symptoms are not an A factor on cancer, but it's your behaviors, 70 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:06,400 what you consume and how you live your life. 71 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:11,080 So lead author Doctor Lanike von Tool put it simply quote our 72 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:13,120 findings do not support the notion that poor mental health 73 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:16,560 or psychosocial stressors can increase the risk of developing 74 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:19,480 cancer. One less thing to stress about. 75 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:22,000 All right, folks, let's talk about supplements real quick. 76 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:25,360 Pre workouts, in particular pre workouts is one of my go to 77 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:28,800 supplements over the years, but I never really paid attention to 78 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:31,080 what junk is in the products I use. 79 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:34,000 I typically grab what's cheapest, what's nearest, what's 80 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:36,360 most convenient, and I was probably hurting my health. 81 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:39,080 I've taken pre workout supplements that for whatever 82 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:41,000 reason make me anxious and jittery. 83 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:44,960 That's why I'm so pumped that Purest Nutrition, my supplement 84 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:48,360 partner has launched their very first pre workout supplement and 85 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:50,280 it is incredible. It's a game changer. 86 00:04:50,280 --> 00:04:52,920 Why? Because it has no junk, no 87 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:55,280 artificial ingredients, nothing that's going to hurt your 88 00:04:55,280 --> 00:04:57,720 health. And it's got nootropics in it. 89 00:04:57,720 --> 00:05:01,560 It's got things like alpha GPC, L theanine science backed 90 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:04,520 ingredients so that you can be energized, have a great workout, 91 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:06,960 but feel kind of calm and focused. 92 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:09,480 And again, no junk. And if you're someone who fast 93 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:11,000 in the morning, you can take this product. 94 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:12,360 It's not going to break your fast. 95 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:14,640 It's the perfect pre workout supplement. 96 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:17,480 So to get your purest Nutrition pre workout supplement, go to 97 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:20,480 purestnutrition.com. Again, that's purest 98 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:23,960 nutrition.com. Check it out, you won't regret 99 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:25,120 it. Get their pre workout 100 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:27,320 supplement. Next up, if you've ever asked 101 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:31,120 yourself what is the best time of day to work out, this new 102 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:35,600 study just might help guide you. So we know that exercise is 103 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:38,160 generally good for you, but it does matter when you do it. 104 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:40,160 And a new study says that is true. 105 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:42,920 So, presented at the American College of Cardiology's annual 106 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:46,880 meeting, researchers analyzed Fitbit data from over 14,000 107 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:49,600 people people and they found that those who regularly 108 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:54,120 exercised in the morning Let's Go were significantly healthier 109 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:57,520 than those who worked out later in the day, even when total 110 00:05:57,520 --> 00:06:01,000 activity levels were the same. Specifically, morning exercises 111 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:06,800 were 35% less likely to have obesity, 30% less likely to have 112 00:06:07,080 --> 00:06:11,600 type 2 diabetes, 31% less likely to have coronary artery disease, 113 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:15,880 and 18% less likely to have high blood pressure. 114 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:21,800 That is 1 2345 things that can kill you and you're less likely 115 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:23,800 to have any of those things if you work out in the morning 116 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:26,320 versus other times. So what is the sweet spot in the 117 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:28,960 morning? Exercising between 7:00 and 8:00 118 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:32,400 AM for most people show the lowest rates of any of these 119 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:34,840 heart diseases. Lead author Prem Patel said, 120 00:06:34,840 --> 00:06:37,760 quote, any exercise is going to be better than no exercise. 121 00:06:37,760 --> 00:06:41,120 But if you can exercise in the morning, it seems to be linked 122 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:43,680 with better rates of cardio metabolic disease. 123 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:46,520 Something to think about when that alarm goes off. 124 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:50,680 And lastly, this week, don't go out buying all the supplements 125 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:52,960 yet. But a new study seems to show 126 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:57,760 that your gut bacteria may boost muscular strength, known as a 127 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:02,040 quote gut muscle access. So your gut microbiome affects 128 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:05,280 your digestion, your immune system, even your brain. 129 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:09,520 Now new research suggests it may also affect your muscles. 130 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:13,360 Published in the journal Gut, researchers from Spain and the 131 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:15,280 Netherlands analyze stool samples. 132 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:19,640 Sounds like a fun job from over 120 adults, both young and older 133 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:23,280 and measured their strength. One bacterium stood out. 134 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:27,640 I'm going to try to say it. Rose Beria Inyola Veronis. 135 00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:32,040 Let's try that again. Rose Beria inulinivorins, 136 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:35,480 Rosberia inulinivorins. Anyways, older adults who had 137 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:39,640 this microbe in their gut showed nearly 30% greater grip strength 138 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:42,200 than those who didn't. And when researchers gave the 139 00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:46,600 bacterium to mice, they saw the same thing, a 30% boost in grip 140 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:48,800 strength along with larger muscle fibers. 141 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:52,240 And, and this is this is key, more fast twitch muscle, the 142 00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:54,640 kind that's used for power movements like sprinting and 143 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:57,760 lifting and seems to make it easier for people to grow 144 00:07:57,760 --> 00:07:59,160 muscle. And on the topic of grip 145 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:01,920 strength, if you don't know this script, strength is and has 146 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:05,800 always been known to be not only an indicator of strength, but 147 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:09,280 strength potential and interestingly, even longevity. 148 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:13,240 So the kicker, levels of this bacterium tend to decline as we 149 00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:16,320 age, right when muscle loss becomes the biggest problem. 150 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:19,560 Exercise physiologist Jonathan Ruiz, one of the study's 151 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:22,240 authors, said. Quote our findings confirm that 152 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:26,560 some microbes can actively modulate both metabolism and 153 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:29,160 muscular strength. So the practical take away for 154 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:33,240 now, a high fiber diet feeds these beneficial bacteria. 155 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:36,240 So if you want to build muscle, don't skip the vegetables, 156 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:40,960 especially as you grow older. All right folks. 157 00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:45,880 So as I mentioned in the intro, big news, huge news this week 158 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:48,240 and personally, I couldn't be more excited for it. 159 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:53,400 The fact that Meta and YouTube were taken down in court and 160 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:57,360 essentially lost and they lost big, it really sets some 161 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:00,840 precedent for what I think is going to be a chain reaction of 162 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:03,440 thousands and thousands of lawsuits. 163 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:08,000 And hopefully all of that is moving toward what I hope to be 164 00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:13,120 a ban of social media in America for anyone under 18, as well as 165 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:16,200 some limitations and guide rails or guardrails. 166 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:19,920 Excuse me, around the platforms themselves, taking a look at the 167 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:23,760 features that are designed to make us addictive and having 168 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:27,280 some regulation over them. Because this technology is not 169 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:31,400 just impacting our youth and our minors, It's also bad for 170 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:34,360 adults. It's a maladaptive coping 171 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:38,600 mechanism that some of us use to manage things like stress. 172 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:41,080 It it it, it makes us dysregulated. 173 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:42,760 It disconnects us from the world. 174 00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:46,520 And I don't know about anybody listening, but personally, I've 175 00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:50,400 felt I've felt a difference when I use social media too much 176 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:54,560 versus when I'm more present. So let's let's dive into exactly 177 00:09:54,560 --> 00:09:57,360 what happened and what it could mean. 178 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:01,440 I think in the short term here in America, in the fallout, I 179 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:05,320 just saw actually this morning a headline that Meta itself has 180 00:10:05,680 --> 00:10:09,480 fired hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of employees over all 181 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:12,440 different departments and sections in their in their 182 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:17,520 organization as a result of what could be additional lawsuits 183 00:10:17,520 --> 00:10:18,760 that they're probably going to lose. 184 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:22,720 So let's start with exactly what happened so I can get you caught 185 00:10:22,720 --> 00:10:24,280 up and then we'll talk about what it could mean. 186 00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:28,120 So here's what went down, folks. A 20 year old woman in 187 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:33,560 California initially sued Mehta. Google's YouTube, which some of 188 00:10:33,560 --> 00:10:36,640 us mistakenly don't consider to be social media, but it has a 189 00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:40,880 lot of the same underlying features, Snap and TikTok. 190 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:45,080 And her claim was this that each of these platforms misses key 191 00:10:45,360 --> 00:10:48,440 deliberately designed their apps to be addictive. 192 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:52,120 And as a result, she developed depression, anxiety, body 193 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:56,320 dysmorphia and suicidal thoughts starting when she was just a 194 00:10:56,360 --> 00:10:58,840 child. Now if you're paying attention, 195 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:01,800 the headline here is that Meta and YouTube lost. 196 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:04,880 You might ask yourself what happened to Snapchat and TikTok 197 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:06,520 Well, they settled before the trial. 198 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:10,160 They probably saw the writing on the wall, but Meta and YouTube, 199 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:14,000 they decided to fight. And on this past Wednesday, 200 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:17,800 after more than 40 hours of deliberation across nine days, a 201 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:21,720 Los Angeles jury sided with the plaintiff. 202 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:26,280 They found that Meta and YouTube were negligent in their design, 203 00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:29,800 concluding the companies knew their platforms were dangerous, 204 00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:34,560 failed to warn their users, and directly caused substantial 205 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:37,280 harm, and the results of this trial. 206 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:40,600 The jury ordered them to pay $3,000,000 in compensatory 207 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:43,880 damages and $3,000,000 in punitive damages. 208 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:47,320 Meta is on the hook for about 70% of that. 209 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:50,720 Now, when you think about these behemoth organizations and what 210 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:53,760 we know about their finances, you might think to yourself, OK, 211 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:56,240 $6 million, big deal, drop in the bucket. 212 00:11:56,240 --> 00:12:00,080 But when you consider the fact that right now there are more 213 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:05,560 than 2000 similar lawsuits out there bringing similar claims 214 00:12:05,560 --> 00:12:08,440 against these organizations, that's where it could have a 215 00:12:08,440 --> 00:12:12,800 serious financial impact. So it this is significant. 216 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:16,120 It's a significant precedent that has now been set. 217 00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:19,080 And I was chatting with my wife this morning when I was relaying 218 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:22,560 this this news to her. I said, Can you imagine how many 219 00:12:22,560 --> 00:12:26,000 other people out there in the country right now because of 220 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:30,040 this result are going to lawyer up and file similar suits? 221 00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:32,880 And as a matter of fact, when I was researching writing this 222 00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:36,680 episode, I typed into Google Meta YouTube lawsuit. 223 00:12:37,160 --> 00:12:40,360 And instead of immediately seeing the search results, I saw 224 00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:46,120 six sponsored ads from lawyers, random lawyers targeting me to 225 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:48,960 lawyer up, assuming that I might have a similar issue. 226 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:52,400 So things are going to change and they're going to change 227 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:56,920 fast. So let's hit on three major 228 00:12:56,920 --> 00:13:01,720 reasons why this matters. Number one, this is the first 229 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:06,040 time, the very first time that a jury has ruled that social media 230 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:10,320 apps should be be treated as quote, defective products. 231 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:14,440 And it's not because of the content on them, because of how 232 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:18,200 they're designed. That's why things like infinite 233 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:23,200 scroll, autoplay videos, beauty filters, push notifications that 234 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:26,880 are engineered to trigger dopamine responses, which is the 235 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:30,560 underlying circuitry around and behind addiction. 236 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:35,920 The platforms themselves are the problems for years, for years, 237 00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:38,960 the social media company said, hey, hey, we're just building a 238 00:13:38,960 --> 00:13:41,120 thing. We're not responsible for what 239 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:43,840 people put on there. This is a societal problem. 240 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:47,760 This lawsuit says no, it's your problem because you're 241 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:52,160 engineering and designing it to turn that content into addictive 242 00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:56,080 substances that we are consuming with our eyes. 243 00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:59,640 And this is huge Second, the second reason why this matters 244 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:05,400 so much, This verdict validates a legal strategy that sidesteps 245 00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:09,440 Section 230. The law that has protected tech 246 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:13,360 companies for decades by saying that those companies are not 247 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:17,120 responsible for the user generated content by this 248 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:19,920 lawsuit. Focusing on the design defects 249 00:14:19,920 --> 00:14:24,840 of the platforms themselves, the plaintiffs lawyers found a way 250 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:29,760 around that shield. And as I said, the Domino's are 251 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:32,280 about to fall. Third reason, this is a 252 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:34,280 bellwether. It is a bellwether case. 253 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:38,840 It is a test case that is tied to those roughly 2000 other 254 00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:41,680 pending lawsuits from families and school districts across the 255 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:43,920 country. And if plaintiffs keep winning 256 00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:47,280 because they will keep bringing these suits, we're talking about 257 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:51,120 billions and billions and dollars of damages and 258 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:56,080 potentially fundamental changes to how these platforms operate. 259 00:14:56,360 --> 00:15:00,800 Hallelujah, it is about time. One day before the verdict, 260 00:15:00,920 --> 00:15:07,240 another jury in New Mexico ordered Mehta to pay $375 261 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:12,040 million for failing to protect young users from child 262 00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:15,400 predators. So that's two major losses in 263 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:19,520 just 2 short days. And as one legal expert put it, 264 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:24,360 this is social medias big tobacco moment, of course, 265 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:28,120 referencing to decades ago when the tobacco industry took 266 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:31,000 massive hits, when it was proven that their products were hurting 267 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:33,480 people and making them more addictive, and then they put a 268 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:36,440 bunch of regulations around that particular industry. 269 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:39,600 So this is huge stuff. And if you're wondering what I 270 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:43,200 meant when I mentioned Meta not protecting children from child 271 00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:48,920 predators, Meta itself took steps to make it more difficult 272 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:54,040 for law enforcement to identify and track down sexual predators 273 00:15:54,040 --> 00:15:57,360 who are targeting minors on their platform. 274 00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:02,120 That's right, a strategic decision to prioritize revenue 275 00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:06,760 and users and engagement over the safety and well-being of our 276 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:08,960 children. If that doesn't make you pissed 277 00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:12,080 off, I don't know what does. Especially as a father of two 278 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:16,720 young girls and a boy. I freaking can't stand, can't 279 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:19,920 stand Meta for some of the information and details that 280 00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:23,600 came out in these two cases. This whole New Mexico case is 281 00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:26,720 the thing that disgusts me so much. 282 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:31,240 Which is how the trial revealed that Meta deliberately used 283 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:35,320 encryption to make it harder for law enforcement to identify 284 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:40,200 predators on their platforms. They prioritize another words 285 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:46,040 user privacy, even when that privacy is shielding pedophiles. 286 00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:50,840 And in that case, they showed how a law enforcement agency 287 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:56,680 created a fake account on Meta on Facebook of a juvenile girl, 288 00:16:57,080 --> 00:17:02,400 and within hours, dozens and dozens of sexual predators try 289 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:05,800 to engage with and attract and speak with and connect to and 290 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:08,359 probably eventually lure that child. 291 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:13,040 And those chat messages were encrypted deliberately by Meta 292 00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:16,359 to protect and make it more difficult for law enforcement 293 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:19,079 agencies to uncover who that individual is. 294 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:22,040 And they cited privacy and freedom of speech in those 295 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:23,480 things. But clearly, it was a 296 00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:25,880 prioritization of profits over the health of our children. 297 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:28,680 And it's disgusting. Now I want to go over some more 298 00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:31,880 trial details. I've kind of plucked out some 299 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:34,240 quotes and information that I think would be really, really 300 00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:36,720 relevant for you. But before I do, I thought I'd 301 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:40,680 go high level and talk about some statistics that really 302 00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:44,200 layout the problem that social media poses for our kids and our 303 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:46,560 entire society. I'm going to hit you with some 304 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:49,040 rapid fire stats here. Hopefully some of them stick. 305 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:53,640 But let's start with addiction as it relates to social media. 306 00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:58,280 So first, over 2400 social media harm lawsuits have been filed on 307 00:17:58,280 --> 00:18:02,480 behalf of children experiencing, quote, serious mental health 308 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:04,200 issues. Linked to social media is number 309 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:09,960 2 in the US 10% of adults, that's 33 million people are 310 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:15,320 currently thought to be addicted to social media #311% of 311 00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:18,800 adolescents show signs of problems social media use, which 312 00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:23,560 is up 7%, So almost one in 10 in just the last six years. 313 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:28,320 And lastly, on addiction, 92% of college students say they are 314 00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:32,320 currently addicted to Facebook and Meta platforms. 9 out of 10 315 00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:35,560 college students self reporting addicted to social media. 316 00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:38,520 That's a problem. Now let's go more broadly on 317 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:41,640 mental health in general. Nearly 40% of high school 318 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:45,560 students experience persistent feelings of sadness and 319 00:18:45,560 --> 00:18:48,400 hopelessness, which has skyrocketed in the last decade. 320 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:51,960 More than 20% of high schoolers have seriously considered 321 00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:55,920 attempting suicide in the past year. 2 in 10. 322 00:18:56,240 --> 00:18:59,160 That is horrifying. Next up, close to 10% of 323 00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:03,920 students actually attempted suicide in the last year. 4th 324 00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:08,840 teens who spend 5 to 7 hours a day on social media are twice as 325 00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:11,480 likely to exhibit mental health problems. 326 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:15,080 Lastly, on gender, female students are twice as likely as 327 00:19:15,080 --> 00:19:18,200 male students to have experienced suicide risk 328 00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:21,720 factors. Horrifying statistics about our 329 00:19:21,720 --> 00:19:24,400 youth. Lastly here some statistics on 330 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:27,760 usage itself. How much are people using the 331 00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:31,600 Internet and social media? 46% of teens say their Internet 332 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:37,080 use is quote almost constant. Folks, look around yourself. 333 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:39,840 See families at restaurants with teenagers on phones. 334 00:19:40,360 --> 00:19:43,920 Kids can't even wait in line at a gas station or a Target. 335 00:19:44,080 --> 00:19:46,840 They can't stand there for 60 seconds without burying their 336 00:19:46,840 --> 00:19:50,040 phone every single time. They're not literally forced to 337 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:52,520 interact with life or a human. They're flipping open their 338 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:54,160 phones and they're looking at it. 339 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:57,200 It's so sad. Next up, the average teen spends 340 00:19:57,200 --> 00:20:01,880 4.8 hours on social media daily. What the hell? 341 00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:04,280 Lastly. The heavily addicted teenagers 342 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:08,560 spend up to 9 hours on social media every day. 343 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:10,880 And if I can just throw this out there, parents, where the hell 344 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:15,200 are you if my teenager is on social media 9 hours a day? 345 00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:17,200 How do I not know? How did it get there? 346 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:19,720 But how do you not do something about it? 347 00:20:19,720 --> 00:20:22,080 If you got a kid, If you're listening and you're a parent, 348 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:25,280 please wake up, wake up, get involved. 349 00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:27,560 You might have to have an argument or confrontation with 350 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:30,720 your kid to kind of reverse this and to take that technology 351 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:32,200 away. But you need to do it. 352 00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:35,080 Listen to these statistics. Parents, wake up. 353 00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:38,360 And if you're wondering what some of the most respected 354 00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:43,080 health organizations think about this problem, the World Health 355 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:46,880 Organization, otherwise known as WHO, calls this a mental health 356 00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:49,520 crises. And the Centers for Disease 357 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:52,240 Control, the CDC, calls it an epidemic. 358 00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:57,040 And now a jury has finally said the companies knew it. 359 00:20:57,480 --> 00:21:00,240 They prioritize profits over our children. 360 00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:03,400 They knew what they were doing and it's about time they have 361 00:21:03,400 --> 00:21:06,360 some consequences. Folks, I'm a busy guy when it 362 00:21:06,360 --> 00:21:08,240 comes to my hair and my grooming. 363 00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:11,400 I just don't have time to spend hours in front of the mirror. 364 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:14,800 I need a product that works and I need it to be a healthy 365 00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:17,360 ingredients that aren't going to harm my skin and my body. 366 00:21:17,360 --> 00:21:20,920 Which is why I use based Body Works texture powder and sea 367 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:22,360 salt spray. Guys, I love this stuff. 368 00:21:22,360 --> 00:21:24,760 I never even thought about what kind of chemicals am I putting 369 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:27,400 in my hair base. Body Works uses nothing but 370 00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:29,920 natural ingredients. No sulfates, no parabens, no 371 00:21:29,920 --> 00:21:32,640 endocrine disrupting chemicals. It's just pure stuff that I'm 372 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:35,240 putting on and what I love about it, it works fast and it works 373 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:37,120 throughout the day with that texture powder. 374 00:21:37,120 --> 00:21:40,600 I can get up couple pumps, shape it later on in the day if my 375 00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:43,560 hair gets messy from hats and hoodies, I can just reshape it 376 00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:45,880 again and it's reliable and I love that. 377 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:48,080 So if you want to try their products, go to 378 00:21:48,080 --> 00:21:50,320 basedbodyworks.com. Again, that's 379 00:21:50,320 --> 00:21:54,920 basedbodyworks.com. Use code stronger weekly for 20% 380 00:21:54,920 --> 00:21:56,640 off. Finally, start using good, 381 00:21:56,640 --> 00:21:58,360 reliable quality products for your grooming. 382 00:21:58,360 --> 00:22:00,880 And if you buy now, you get a free toiletry bag that's based 383 00:22:01,120 --> 00:22:04,160 bodyworks.com code word stronger weekly for 20% off. 384 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:06,520 So hopefully I made we made it clear that this is a pretty 385 00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:10,040 harrowing epidemic or crises as these organizations cause. 386 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:13,000 Let's get into a little bit of details about the case itself 387 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:15,160 because it's fascinating and also frustrating. 388 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:19,320 So the plaintiff started using YouTube at just six years old. 389 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:24,280 Again, parents, WTF. Instagram at 11, even though the 390 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:26,120 platform requires users to be 13. 391 00:22:26,120 --> 00:22:28,800 So she slipped through the cracks, which calls for tighter 392 00:22:28,800 --> 00:22:31,760 regulations. By the time she was a teenager, 393 00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:34,920 she was compulsively checking her phone, running to the 394 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:38,640 bathroom at school to see how many likes her post got, using 395 00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:42,760 beauty filters obsessively, and spiraling into depression and 396 00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:46,880 body dysmorphia as she claimed. Her legal team argued this was 397 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:49,320 not an accident. This is the crux of the case. 398 00:22:49,320 --> 00:22:51,760 Meta and YouTube deliberately engineered these platforms to 399 00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:55,800 exploit the developing brains of kids and teenagers, and her 400 00:22:55,800 --> 00:23:00,160 legal team had the receipts. So here is a clip of lead 401 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:03,880 attorney Mark Lanier speaking to reporters about the case. 402 00:23:04,440 --> 00:23:09,160 To take that preteen, to take that teenager whose mind is 403 00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:12,480 still developing, and to be. Fully aware. 404 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:16,520 Of how you can use a casino effect, which is what the 405 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:21,280 YouTube documents talk about using a casino effect on a young 406 00:23:21,280 --> 00:23:24,520 developing mind. That's outrageous. 407 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:28,680 And throughout the trial, what really reportedly swayed the 408 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:33,280 jury was kind of pulling back the curtains and exposing some 409 00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:37,640 of the internal communications and strategy of Meta and YouTube 410 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:39,440 itself. And buckle up, because this is 411 00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:42,560 the stuff. This is the shit that just 412 00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:45,960 drives me up a wall as a father. So let's start here. 413 00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:52,520 Internal documents showed that CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the captain 414 00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:55,400 of the ship, and other high-ranking executives 415 00:23:55,840 --> 00:24:00,560 describing efforts and strategy to attract and keep kids and 416 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:04,760 teens on their platforms. One memo shared with the jury 417 00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:09,760 said, quote, if we want to win big with teens, we must bring 418 00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:15,080 them in as tweens, catch them early, get them addicted and 419 00:24:15,080 --> 00:24:17,600 keep them engaged. Those are my words, not theirs, 420 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:22,000 but that's how I interpret that. Another document showed 11 year 421 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:26,560 olds were four times as likely to keep coming back to Instagram 422 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:31,160 compared to competing apps, despite the 13 plus age 423 00:24:31,160 --> 00:24:34,440 requirement. In other words, they knew that 424 00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:38,000 their requirement was 13. However, people younger than 425 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:43,120 that were on their platforms. They knew that those young kids 426 00:24:43,120 --> 00:24:46,800 were using their platform 4 times more than their quote 427 00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:49,520 competitors and they wanted to keep it that way. 428 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:54,480 Next, internal research showing Meta knew there was research 429 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:58,480 that they knew that beauty filters cause body image issues 430 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:02,840 and they leaned into it anyway and just kept plugging them and 431 00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:04,360 plugging them to drive engagement. 432 00:25:04,360 --> 00:25:09,200 This is evidence of awareness of harm and then leaning into it 433 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:11,960 anyway for profits and revenue and to beat out their 434 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:16,480 competition. The jury was shown a 35 foot 435 00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:20,920 collage of hundreds and hundreds of selfies from the plaintiff 436 00:25:21,360 --> 00:25:24,360 that she had posted to Instagram over the years, many using 437 00:25:24,360 --> 00:25:28,040 beauty filters while she was under 13 and struggling with 438 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:29,800 body dysmorphia. And the plaintiff showed 439 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:32,640 evidence that she had been seeking mental health treatment 440 00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:37,520 throughout the case with the jury obviously saw the harm, saw 441 00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:39,680 behind the scenes and sided with the plaintiff. 442 00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:42,960 There were many quotes pulled from the case from, as I like to 443 00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:46,560 call him, Mark Zuckerterd. But one quote I wanted to call 444 00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:51,360 out here, when asked about the quality of the product and its 445 00:25:51,360 --> 00:25:54,360 impact, he said, quote, if people feel like they're not 446 00:25:54,360 --> 00:25:57,440 having a good experience, why would they keep using the 447 00:25:57,440 --> 00:26:01,680 product? That response didn't land well 448 00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:03,880 with me, probably didn't land well with you, and it's 449 00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:07,360 certainly did not land well with the jury because this is exactly 450 00:26:07,360 --> 00:26:09,640 the problem. The platforms are designed so 451 00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:12,760 you can't stop using them. And his response is just 452 00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:17,280 indicative of someone who's just strictly looking at this as a 453 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:20,080 business strategy and not considering the harm that it 454 00:26:20,080 --> 00:26:21,920 causes. So how did they try to defend 455 00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:24,000 themselves? What did Meta and YouTube say in 456 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:27,600 court #1 They said it's not our fault, it's the content, it's 457 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:29,680 not the platform, basically. Hey, you guys are putting this 458 00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:30,720 stuff on there. It's not us. 459 00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:32,360 We just provided the the platform. 460 00:26:32,600 --> 00:26:34,920 And obviously that didn't land with the jury number 2. 461 00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:38,080 They said correlation does not equal causation. 462 00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:40,840 You cannot prove that social media causes mental health 463 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:43,440 issues. So they essentially insisted 464 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:46,240 that there's no scientific proof that social media platforms 465 00:26:46,240 --> 00:26:48,440 itself causes the mental health outcomes. 466 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:52,400 And they tried to attack the plaintiff, saying that her 467 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:54,960 issues were multifaceted, maybe it was her home life, 468 00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:58,400 pre-existing conditions, etcetera, that didn't work. 469 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:02,560 And #3 they said we've invested heavily in safety features. 470 00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:05,400 That's a quote. They both pointed to they being 471 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:08,400 YouTube and Meta parental controls, content restrictions 472 00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:12,080 and mental health resources that they've added in recent years. 473 00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:15,640 But obviously, the jury heard all the testimony and all of 474 00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:17,600 these defenses were obviously ineffective. 475 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:20,920 And the internal documents showed that executives knew the 476 00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:24,120 platforms were harmful for years and years and years and leaned 477 00:27:24,120 --> 00:27:28,320 into them anyway. So again, massive, massive 478 00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:30,800 outcome. And I could not be more for it 479 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:33,680 and supportive of what happened and what's about to happen. 480 00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:37,040 And what's interesting is if you think about other industries, 481 00:27:37,040 --> 00:27:40,360 things like tobacco, alcohol, gambling, you know, we've seen 482 00:27:40,360 --> 00:27:41,800 this before. That's why we're calling it the 483 00:27:41,800 --> 00:27:44,360 big tobacco moment. You think back in the 1990s 484 00:27:44,720 --> 00:27:48,560 where tobacco companies basically spent decades denying, 485 00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:51,800 it's hard to believe, but denying that nicotine was 486 00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:54,200 addictive, they tried to blame it on the people and said it's a 487 00:27:54,200 --> 00:27:57,480 personal choice, even if you know that it hurts you. 488 00:27:57,480 --> 00:28:02,320 But what wind up happening was internal documents were leaked 489 00:28:02,320 --> 00:28:05,760 that prove that they knew it was addictive and cigarettes caused 490 00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:08,280 cancer, but they kept pumping it out and pumping it out. 491 00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:10,960 And of course, we know what happened with the tobacco 492 00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:12,480 industry. And you think about alcohol and 493 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:15,400 gambling. Both industries have faced and 494 00:28:15,400 --> 00:28:18,240 continue to face lawsuits that in their marketing and in their 495 00:28:18,240 --> 00:28:22,040 products, they're targeting vulnerable or naive populations 496 00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:26,240 to use their addictive products. And they've lost lawsuit after 497 00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:29,000 their lawsuit until eventually becomes more restricted. 498 00:28:29,280 --> 00:28:32,120 So I agree with this metaphor that this is a big tobacco 499 00:28:32,120 --> 00:28:36,520 moment and I couldn't be more excited to see where this goes. 500 00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:40,560 Let's be honest, most of us don't have a private gym, a full 501 00:28:40,560 --> 00:28:43,320 time trainer, or hours everyday to lift. 502 00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:46,200 If you're like me, you don't even have time to commute to a 503 00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:48,160 local gym. You're training early in the 504 00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:51,640 morning, or carving out 40 minutes between work, kids and 505 00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:53,320 everything else, competing for your time. 506 00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:56,520 And when fitness matters that much to your well-being and your 507 00:28:56,520 --> 00:28:59,800 health, you've got to have home fitness equipment that's as 508 00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:04,040 strong and reliable as you are. That is exactly why I use Rep 509 00:29:04,240 --> 00:29:06,680 Fitness. Rep is built for people who 510 00:29:06,680 --> 00:29:09,440 train with purpose. People who need high quality, 511 00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:11,920 reliable equipment engineered for real strength. 512 00:29:12,400 --> 00:29:16,400 Designed right here in Colorado, USA, Rep Fitness provides racks, 513 00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:19,320 benches, bars, and plates that offer commercial grade 514 00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:23,520 durability without commercial gym prices, premium materials, 515 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:25,960 smart engineering, and fair pricing. 516 00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:29,040 Whether you're outfitting your very first garage gym or 517 00:29:29,040 --> 00:29:31,320 upgrading your current setup to match where you want to go with 518 00:29:31,320 --> 00:29:34,840 your training, Rep makes gear that keeps up with your life and 519 00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:37,960 your goals. Visit repfitness.com to see 520 00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:40,880 their full line up racks, benches, bars, plates, 521 00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:43,480 conditioning tools and everything you need to build a 522 00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:45,840 home gym that works as hard as you do. 523 00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:52,480 That's repfitness.com. And I think a key question 524 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:55,520 underpinning all of this, because we're talking about 525 00:29:55,520 --> 00:30:00,040 kids, is how much of the burden or responsibility to keep kids 526 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:03,440 safe and protected and keeping them having healthy 527 00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:05,360 relationships on these platforms, How much of that 528 00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:09,080 responsibility falls on the parents versus the platforms? 529 00:30:09,640 --> 00:30:11,960 And it's a slippery slope. And I think there's an argument, 530 00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:15,000 but it's a both end. And that's my opinion. 531 00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:18,880 It's a both end. Meta and YouTube would say it 532 00:30:18,880 --> 00:30:21,040 falls squarely on the parents. They argue that parents should 533 00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:23,800 monitor their kids screen time, set boundaries, use the parental 534 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:25,840 controls that they've built in there. 535 00:30:25,840 --> 00:30:28,200 And then again, to be fair, I think parents do play a 536 00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:30,240 significant role. My kids aren't on social media. 537 00:30:30,840 --> 00:30:32,760 I mean, granted, they're young enough that they're they're 538 00:30:32,760 --> 00:30:34,960 probably shouldn't be anyway. I mean, they're eight years old, 539 00:30:35,120 --> 00:30:36,560 but they're not touching social media. 540 00:30:37,360 --> 00:30:39,280 I don't, I don't care if I have to fight them tooth and nail. 541 00:30:39,280 --> 00:30:41,920 They're not going on this crap until they're 18. 542 00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:43,880 I don't, I don't care. And that's what I think the law 543 00:30:43,880 --> 00:30:45,560 should be in America. I think should be 18. 544 00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:48,360 Other countries have already implemented that law. 545 00:30:48,360 --> 00:30:49,920 I think it's amazing. I think it's beautiful. 546 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:51,240 My kids aren't touching this shit. 547 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:53,920 And when I have friends and family members and I see their 548 00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:55,800 kids on social media, I judge them. 549 00:30:56,480 --> 00:30:58,280 I judge them because these facts are out there and they're 550 00:30:58,280 --> 00:31:01,360 getting more and more known and there's absolutely no excuse for 551 00:31:01,360 --> 00:31:04,120 parents to know these facts and to know the risk and to put them 552 00:31:04,120 --> 00:31:06,120 on their unsupervised anyway. It's bullshit. 553 00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:08,920 And if you're one of those parents, please, I'm sorry if 554 00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:11,240 you I'm coming across judging and critical, but I'm right. 555 00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:12,920 This is truth. You can't argue with it. 556 00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:15,320 You can't let your kids on this stuff. 557 00:31:15,560 --> 00:31:17,280 Not right now, not the way it sits today. 558 00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:19,160 You just can't. And I'm very, very fired up 559 00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:22,480 about this. As you can tell, it's a parent's 560 00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:24,280 responsibility. However, it's also the 561 00:31:24,280 --> 00:31:26,440 platform's responsibility. And what this case showed and 562 00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:28,800 what more cases will continue to show, that these assholes knew 563 00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:32,320 about it, they did it anyway. They justified it, they 564 00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:33,600 rationalized it, they did whatever. 565 00:31:33,600 --> 00:31:36,160 But the gig is up, they're done. And that's where we're heading. 566 00:31:36,160 --> 00:31:38,280 And that's my prediction that we're going to see massive 567 00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:43,160 sweeping changes in this country over the next months and year. 568 00:31:43,360 --> 00:31:46,160 Hallelujah. Thank God, I'm all for it. 569 00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:48,720 And I couldn't be more happy about this outcome. 570 00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:51,960 So what's next? Of course, totally predictable. 571 00:31:51,960 --> 00:31:53,800 Meta is fighting it. They're going to fight it. 572 00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:57,640 Here's a clip from a major Meta executive just responding here 573 00:31:58,040 --> 00:32:00,920 about the outcome. We respectfully disagree with 574 00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:05,160 the verdict and will appeal. Teen mental health is profoundly 575 00:32:05,160 --> 00:32:08,160 complex and cannot be linked to a single app. 576 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:12,160 We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every 577 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:15,800 case is different and we remain confident in our record of 578 00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:18,920 protecting teens online. In other words, translate. 579 00:32:18,920 --> 00:32:20,440 We're going to keep fighting and fighting and fighting. 580 00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:23,200 It's disgusting. Here's a quote from FTC 581 00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:26,880 Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya, who wrote on social media, and I 582 00:32:26,880 --> 00:32:30,480 love this quote. A jury of regular people has 583 00:32:30,480 --> 00:32:34,960 managed to do what Congress and even state legislators have not 584 00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:38,840 hold Meta and Google accountable for addicting young people to 585 00:32:38,840 --> 00:32:42,840 their products. A men Congress failed, state 586 00:32:42,840 --> 00:32:45,400 legislations have failed. But guess what? 587 00:32:45,640 --> 00:32:48,320 The good old people, the American people, a jury of peers 588 00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:50,840 showed up and rolled up and said, you know what, this has 589 00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:53,600 got to stop. Power to the process. 590 00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:56,640 So here's what's next. Already, as I mentioned, over 591 00:32:56,640 --> 00:33:01,480 2000 similar cases are pending to go to trial and we'll keep 592 00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:04,920 you posted on all of the significant cases as they've 593 00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:06,680 happened. Meta and YouTube are clearly 594 00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:08,840 going to keep fighting tooth and nail. 595 00:33:08,840 --> 00:33:11,120 I mentioned what's happening around the world, so here's just 596 00:33:11,120 --> 00:33:14,720 a recap of other countries who are out ahead of us on this. 597 00:33:14,720 --> 00:33:17,720 Australia became the first country to ban social media for 598 00:33:17,720 --> 00:33:20,600 users under 16 in just couple months ago. 599 00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:24,240 That was December 2025 and the platforms face fines of up to 600 00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:28,840 $32 million for non compliance. Spain just announced a similar 601 00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:33,400 ban for people under 16 calling social media a quote digital 602 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:37,520 Wild West France, shout out to the French are expected to pass 603 00:33:37,520 --> 00:33:42,040 a ban for under 15 years old by September of this year, 2026. 604 00:33:42,320 --> 00:33:45,840 And UK, Denmark, Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Poland, 605 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:49,800 Slovenia are all considering or drafting similar legislation. 606 00:33:50,040 --> 00:33:53,640 And Malaysia last and not least announced the ban for under 16 607 00:33:53,640 --> 00:33:56,920 starting in 2026. So globally, the message is 608 00:33:56,920 --> 00:34:00,080 clear, protect kids first, not profits of these behemoth 609 00:34:00,360 --> 00:34:02,120 companies. And also was something I'm very 610 00:34:02,120 --> 00:34:04,840 fascinated about to see if there's any implications around 611 00:34:05,320 --> 00:34:08,679 AI then AI, if you're if you're tracking on this, just the 612 00:34:08,679 --> 00:34:12,800 threat that it poses to our workforce here in America and 613 00:34:12,800 --> 00:34:15,360 internationally and some of the risks around that. 614 00:34:15,719 --> 00:34:20,080 There are similarities here in that you would think, I think 615 00:34:20,080 --> 00:34:22,679 historically these tech companies are protected for the 616 00:34:22,679 --> 00:34:25,840 sake of capitalism and freedom and all those things, However, 617 00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:29,560 at those platforms are causing harm to humans or society and 618 00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:31,480 you can prove that and connect it. 619 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:33,400 You could see some fall out here. 620 00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:38,000 The precedent has been set. Now people, the people can bring 621 00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:41,880 lawsuits against these companies and in a jury of their peers, 622 00:34:41,880 --> 00:34:45,239 they can get the verdict. That I think is just and true. 623 00:34:45,239 --> 00:34:49,199 So I would say buckle up. Buckle up for how this impacts 624 00:34:49,840 --> 00:34:52,000 AI. And I just want to say before we 625 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:56,719 part ways here, whether you yourself are over consuming this 626 00:34:56,719 --> 00:34:59,960 technology, whether you're fearful that it's your, your 627 00:34:59,960 --> 00:35:03,560 child or someone that you know that's doing the same, you can 628 00:35:03,680 --> 00:35:06,760 take steps today to fix the problem. 629 00:35:06,760 --> 00:35:10,320 You can set up boundaries, you can set up screen time 630 00:35:10,320 --> 00:35:14,080 limitations on these apps. I certainly hope that this 631 00:35:14,080 --> 00:35:17,520 conversation didn't just inform you of what's happening, but it 632 00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:22,120 just may have inspired you to make the change that you need 633 00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:23,680 for your own mental health and well-being. 634 00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:28,800 Because these technologies are addictive, and when things are 635 00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:32,240 addictive and you become addicted, there are consequences 636 00:35:32,400 --> 00:35:35,000 to your physical, mental and emotional health. 637 00:35:35,240 --> 00:35:39,000 And I would encourage you to pull up and take a long, hard, 638 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:42,520 truthful look at how you engage with these technologies and take 639 00:35:42,520 --> 00:35:46,720 the steps that you need to get better and to be healthier. 640 00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:49,520 So for the parents out there, some things you can do right 641 00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:51,400 now. Have some honest conversations 642 00:35:51,400 --> 00:35:53,400 with your kids about social media use. 643 00:35:53,720 --> 00:35:56,920 Set boundaries, model healthy behavior yourself. 644 00:35:56,920 --> 00:35:59,720 Don't be seen scrolling and ignoring your kids because 645 00:35:59,720 --> 00:36:02,160 you're modeling it for them and they're going to follow what you 646 00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:04,040 do. And please, please, even if 647 00:36:04,040 --> 00:36:07,360 legislation doesn't come out yet, just delay smartphone and 648 00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:11,440 social media use for your kids, especially the young kids who 649 00:36:11,440 --> 00:36:13,120 are vulnerable. And for everyone, you can 650 00:36:13,120 --> 00:36:16,120 support legislation like the Kids Online Line Safety Act. 651 00:36:16,120 --> 00:36:17,400 You can call your representatives. 652 00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:20,160 Just make some noise around this topic, get some momentum. 653 00:36:20,520 --> 00:36:24,080 You can vote with your wallet. If you're unhappy with how these 654 00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:26,920 platforms operate, delete them. Just delete them. 655 00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:28,960 Don't pay them, don't contribute, don't give them the 656 00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:31,040 clicks. Don't give them your eyeballs, 657 00:36:31,040 --> 00:36:32,760 right? You can just revolt and not use 658 00:36:32,760 --> 00:36:35,480 that technology. Share stories, talk amongst your 659 00:36:35,480 --> 00:36:39,280 friends, and just try to be a positive influence in your 660 00:36:39,440 --> 00:36:41,760 personal network and your close circle. 661 00:36:44,240 --> 00:36:48,320 Well, that is it for this week's episode of Stronger Weekly. 662 00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:53,080 Thank you so much for joining. If this episode resonated with 663 00:36:53,080 --> 00:36:56,640 you, if it inspired with you, if you benefited from it in any way 664 00:36:56,640 --> 00:36:59,160 whatsoever, do me a favor. Would you please share it, send 665 00:36:59,160 --> 00:37:02,200 it to another parent, post it on social media? 666 00:37:02,200 --> 00:37:05,800 And yes, I see the irony in that ask, but if we're going to use 667 00:37:05,800 --> 00:37:08,480 these platforms, why not use them for something that helps 668 00:37:08,480 --> 00:37:10,800 people and spreads awareness around issues that actually 669 00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:12,960 matter? You can follow Stronger weekly 670 00:37:12,960 --> 00:37:16,680 on Instagram, Apple podcast, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, 671 00:37:16,720 --> 00:37:19,080 all the places. If you're listening to us, 672 00:37:19,080 --> 00:37:21,680 watching us, please leave a rating and a review. 673 00:37:21,680 --> 00:37:24,400 It just helps more people find the show. 674 00:37:24,400 --> 00:37:26,880 And lastly, if you have questions, feedback, or just 675 00:37:26,880 --> 00:37:30,320 want to share your own story about social media or any of the 676 00:37:30,320 --> 00:37:33,160 topics that we cover, please e-mail me 677 00:37:33,160 --> 00:37:36,680 contact@strongerweekly.com. That's contact at 678 00:37:36,680 --> 00:37:40,000 strongerweekly.com. We just love hearing from our 679 00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:42,360 listeners and viewers from around the country and around 680 00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:44,680 the world. So thank you again so much for 681 00:37:44,680 --> 00:37:46,560 being here. That's it for this episode. 682 00:37:46,560 --> 00:37:48,800 We will see you next week. Be strong.