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18 April 2025
Issue: 8113 / Categories: Legal News , Technology , Health & safety , Personal injury , Social Media
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NLJ this week: Fear, disgust & liability in the age of TikTok & Insta

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Could social media firms be sued for harm caused to users? In the first of a three-part NLJ series on social media firms, Harry Lambert, Outer Temple Chambers, looks through ‘the lens of product liability, essentially posing the question: can social media platforms be conceptualised as defective products?’

Are TikTok, Twitter and other platforms protected by immunity? How does the law apply to social media algorithms? Lambert looks at the contracts and sets out his argument.

As he writes, ‘neuroscientific research shows beyond dispute that outrage, disgust, sex, fear and disgust will keep you hooked in a way that cat videos won’t. And the more time you spend online, the more money Big Tech makes’.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Flint Bishop—Charlotte Harris

Flint Bishop—Charlotte Harris

Sheffield expansion continues with appointment of commercial property partner

Browne Jacobson—Paul Duggan

Browne Jacobson—Paul Duggan

Browne Jacobson strengthens banking and finance practice with latest partner appointment Paul Duggan

Ward Hadaway—Chris Piggott

Ward Hadaway—Chris Piggott

Employment partner joins Ward Hadaway

NEWS
The Law Society RFC Festival of Sport returns next month, bringing together legal and financial services professionals for one of the sector’s largest annual sporting events
Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners

Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.

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