Landmark Meta/YouTube Verdict Underscores Urgent Need for Digital Emotional Regulation, Says Offline.now Digital Dependency Expert and Clinician
Harshi Sritharan available to discuss why accountability in court must be matched by practical support for families, schools, and young people
TORONTO, March 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- In the wake of a landmark Los Angeles verdict finding Meta and YouTube negligent in a youth social media harm case, digital dependency expert Harshi Sritharan of Offline.now says the ruling is an overdue moment of accountability -- but not a complete solution. This week, a jury found the companies liable in a bellwether case centered on platform design and awarded $3 million in compensatory damages and $3 million in punitive damages, a decision that could influence thousands of similar lawsuits now moving through the courts.
Sritharan, a Canada-based clinician with global digital wellness platform Offline.now, says the verdict validates what therapists are already seeing in practice: many of the harms linked to youth social media use are not abstract policy concerns, but lived realities affecting focus, sleep, self-esteem, emotional regulation, and family relationships. At Offline.now, the focus is not on eliminating technology from people's lives, but on helping them build healthier, more intentional relationships with it.
Offline.now offers an expert network of certified mental health professionals supporting challenges ranging from digital overwhelm and family screen conflict to ADHD, anxiety, and social media overuse.
A Court Cannot Teach a Teenager How to Regulate Emotions Online
"The verdict matters because it recognizes that design shapes behavior," says Sritharan. "But families still wake up the next morning in the same reality. A court can assign liability, but it cannot teach a teenager how to regulate emotions online, help a parent de-escalate phone conflict at home, or rebuild the habits that have quietly taken over everyday life."
Sritharan says one of the most overlooked issues in public conversation is digital emotional regulation -- understanding the role screens play in managing boredom, stress, loneliness, overwhelm and social pressure. When that piece is ignored, families often end up fighting about devices without addressing the emotional function those devices serve.
"The question is not only whether platforms should be safer. Of course they should," Sritharan adds. "The question is also what skills young people need to live with technology in a healthier way. If we only talk about restricting access, we risk missing the deeper problem and sometimes pushing vulnerable youth into spaces that are even harder to monitor."
The Answer Must be Broader than Litigation
The Offline.now platform is calling for a practical, three-part response:
- Stronger accountability for platform design features that intensify compulsive use.
- Greater investment in digital resilience education, including emotional regulation and healthy online boundaries.
- More intentional digital environments designed with younger users in mind.
"This verdict may change the legal conversation," says Eli Singer, founder and CEO of Offline.now and author of Offline.now: A Practical Guide to Healthy Digital Balance. "But the feed still lives in our kitchens, bedrooms, classrooms and routines. Real progress will come not just from what happens in court, but from what happens in homes, schools and daily life."
Sritharan is available for interviews on the clinical realities behind youth digital dependency, what parents and schools are getting wrong about screen time, why digital emotional regulation should become part of the conversation, and what practical steps families can take now.
About Offline.now
Offline.now is a digital wellness platform focused on practical, shame-free digital balance. Through expert guidance, educational content and a growing directory of specialists, Offline.now helps people reclaim time, focus and joy in a world of endless screens.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, AND TO SPEAK WITH HARSHI SRITHARAN OR ELI SINGER:
CONTACT:
Rob Bailey
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 201-819-1134
SOURCE Offline.now
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