Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Episode details

World Service,09 Feb 2026,26 mins

Social media on trial in LA

World Business Report

Available for 29 days

A landmark US trial begins today in Los Angeles, where plaintiffs say Instagram and YouTube were built to addict kids. We hear from our North America Technololgy Correspondent on what the families said today in court. Then to Japan, where Sanae Takaichi’s decisive election win is being read by markets positively - sending the Nikkei to record highs. We’ll hear from Tokyo and the US on what her strengthened mandate could mean for the Japan-US relationship. And there's a major pharma-versus-telehealth clash: Novo Nordisk is suing Hims & Hers, accusing it of patent infringement linked to semaglutide - seeking to halt sales of unapproved compounded versions and pursuing damages, in a case that could ripple through the booming online weight-loss market. (Photo: Parents who lost children to alleged social media–related harms hold a vigil ahead of a social media addiction trial in Los Angeles on February 5, 2026. Jill Connelly/Reuters: Reuters).

Programme Website
More episodes
Trending Now