Aaron Sorkin’s film *The Social Reckoning*, which premiered recently, dramatizes the whistleblowing of Frances Haugen, a former Facebook product manager who leaked internal documents to *The Wall Street Journal* in 2021. This leak led to the publication of “The Facebook Files,” a 17-article series revealing that Facebook, now Meta Platforms, was acutely aware that its platforms harmed young users and stoked anger, yet concealed these findings. Haugen’s 2021 testimony before the U.S. Senate called for stronger regulation, casting a spotlight on the social media giant’s prioritization of profit over user safety.

Following the revelations, legislative and legal actions unfolded with mixed results. In 2024, Congress enacted the Kids Online Safety Act, aimed at protecting minors by requiring platforms to implement safety measures. However, this law fell short of addressing the key algorithms that amplify harmful content. Meanwhile, more than 2,400 personal injury lawsuits against Meta and other social media companies accused the platforms of addicting young users and causing psychological harm. A landmark case in March 2026 found Meta liable, resulting in a $4.2 million judgment, and by August 2026, Meta agreed to an $18 billion multistate settlement mandating new usage limits and restrictions for teen users.

The core legal challenge remains rooted in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects platforms from liability for user-generated content. While the lawsuits related to product design exploited a legal pathway by treating the algorithms themselves as defective products, efforts to hold Meta accountable for radicalization and divisive content amplification have been unsuccessful. A prominent 2025 appellate decision upheld Meta’s immunity, and the Supreme Court declined to review the case, underscoring the limits of existing laws to confront such issues effectively.

Despite some accountability in the realm of child safety and platform design, the deeper structural problems highlighted by “The Facebook Files” persist. Meta’s algorithm-driven amplification of anger and divisiveness, along with the company’s failure to address these harms comprehensively, remain largely unregulated and unresolved. Five years after Haugen’s disclosures and congressional hearings, this ongoing tension between profit-driven algorithms and public safety continues to challenge policymakers, the judiciary, and society.