Carolina Rossini, professor of practice in public policy and director for programs at the Public Interest Technology Initiative, has written a new piece in The Conversation and republished in Fortune on how a lawsuit over social media addictiveness could reshape platform governance. In the article, titled “How Instagram addictiveness lawsuit could reshape social media – platform design meets product liability,” Rossini outlines the case and its novel legal theory. Moving beyond Section 230 limits, plaintiffs argue that design choices (e.g. recommender algorithms and infinite scroll) may be inherently harmful and that product makers should be held accountable for negligence. Rossini suggests the argument could drive significant changes in social media governance and product development, and situates the debate within responsible technology design, a core concern for Public Interest Technology (PIT).
For Portuguese speakers: Rossini was also featured on O Assunto, one of Brazil’s most widely listened-to news podcasts, discussing the trial. She also coauthored a piece with Dr. Rafael Zanatta in JOTA Brasil which examines broader questions about platform business models and discusses the new Brazil’s Digital ECA (Law No. 15,211/2025). Taking effect March 17, 2026, the law establishes comprehensive online safety rules for minors, including age verification, a ban on behavioral advertising, parental-control tools, and hefty fines.