Are designers to blame for our tech dystopia? It’s complicated

New Mexico and California courts have found social media companies like Meta and YouTube liable for creating products harmful to young people, with recent rulings focusing on design features. The New Mexico trial addressed Meta's role in child exploitation, while the California case centered on the detrimental effects of "addictive" features such as autoplay and infinite scroll. Raúl Torrez, New Mexico's attorney general, stated that juries acknowledged Meta's "public deception and design features" endangered children. The designer of infinite scroll, Aza Raskin, testified in court, expressing regret for his contribution to the feature. These legal outcomes highlight the significant impact of design choices on user well-being and the ethical considerations within the software industry. The complexity of attributing blame in the modern software economy, particularly at the scale of companies like Meta and Google, necessitates a detailed examination of how technology products are developed and deployed. The legal scrutiny suggests a growing recognition of designers' responsibility for the societal consequences of their creations, moving beyond purely functional considerations to address potential harms.