Social Media, AI & Law by Toju Duke, a Top AI Expert, Ex-Google

4 Mar 2026 · 2 min

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1:37

In this presentation, Toju Duke outlines recent regulatory challenges facing major social media platforms and highlights the role of AI-driven recommendation engines in fostering addiction, especially among minors. He reports that TikTok is alleged to have breached the EU Digital Services Act by failing to assess addictive features, potentially facing a fine of up to 6% of its annual turnover. In the United States, Meta is on trial in New Mexico for not protecting minors from sexual exploitation on its platforms. Duke cites a neuroscientific study indicating a decline in Gen Z IQ compared to millennials, underscoring the negative impact of social media on youth. While acknowledging that regulation is a slow process, he emphasizes that responsibility lies with all stakeholders—companies, users, and society—to safeguard mental health, brand reputation, and revenue from the harms of AI-powered social media.

Chapters

Here's the latest on social media, AI, and regulation. TikTok has been found to be in breach of the Digital Services Act, an EU regulation that became applicable in 2024 and provides a legal framework for digital services across the EU. The investigation indicates that TikTok did not do a proper assessment of its addictive features that potentially harms the physical and mental well-being of its users, including minors, and vulnerable adults. If the findings are confirmed, a fine of about 6% of TikTok's total annual turnover will be required along with other measures. Flipping over to the US, Meta has gone into trial in New Mexico for its failure to protect minors from sexual exploitation on its apps, which includes Facebook and Instagram. The main culprit in social media addiction is AI, where recommendation engines are used on social media platforms to recommend the viewable content based on past views and interests of viewers. Now, the impact of social media on young people is becoming more obvious. A recent study by a neuroscientist shows that the IQ of Gen Z is less than millennials, and they're the first generation to ever score lower than the generation before them. Now, this is not good. While regulation is a great mechanism to ensure safe social media interactions, It still takes years to be enforced. So the responsibility lies in all of us to not only protect the next generation from the harms of digital and social media, aka AI, but also to ensure we protect our users, our consumers, our brand reputation, and our revenue.