- Today
- Holidays
- Birthdays
- Reminders
- Cities
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Baltimore
- Berwyn
- Beverly Hills
- Birmingham
- Boston
- Brooklyn
- Buffalo
- Charlotte
- Chicago
- Cincinnati
- Cleveland
- Columbus
- Dallas
- Denver
- Detroit
- Fort Worth
- Houston
- Indianapolis
- Knoxville
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Louisville
- Madison
- Memphis
- Miami
- Milwaukee
- Minneapolis
- Nashville
- New Orleans
- New York
- Omaha
- Orlando
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- Pittsburgh
- Portland
- Raleigh
- Richmond
- Rutherford
- Sacramento
- Salt Lake City
- San Antonio
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Jose
- Seattle
- Tampa
- Tucson
- Washington
Thornton Today
By the People, for the People
Colorado Woman Celebrates Verdicts Against Meta, YouTube in Son's Overdose Death
Kimberly Osterman says the rulings hold social media companies accountable for harms to children on their platforms.
Mar. 27, 2026 at 3:56am
Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›
A Colorado woman whose 18-year-old son died from a fentanyl-laced pill he bought through social media celebrated a pair of verdicts this week against Meta and YouTube. Kimberly Osterman said the rulings open the door for companies to be held responsible for harms to children using their platforms. Osterman is pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit separate from the cases decided this week.
Why it matters
The verdicts against Meta and YouTube demonstrate a growing willingness to hold major social media companies accountable for the harms their platforms can cause to young users. This could lead to more lawsuits and regulations aimed at forcing tech companies to implement stronger safeguards to protect minors.
The details
Osterman's 18-year-old son Max died in 2021 after purchasing a fentanyl-laced pill he thought was Percocet through a drug dealer he connected with on Snapchat. In separate cases this week, juries found both YouTube and Meta (which owns Instagram and Facebook) liable for harms to children due to the design of their platforms. Snapchat's parent company Snap Inc. had settled a similar case just before the Los Angeles trial began, and TikTok also agreed to settle.
- Max Osterman died in 2021 at the age of 18.
- The verdicts against Meta and YouTube were handed down this week.
- The man who sold the fatal pill to Max, Sergio Guerra-Carrillo, was sentenced to six years in prison in 2023.
The players
Kimberly Osterman
A Colorado woman whose 18-year-old son Max died in 2021 from a fentanyl-laced pill he bought through social media.
Max Osterman
Kimberly Osterman's 18-year-old son who died in 2021 after purchasing a fentanyl-laced pill he thought was Percocet through a drug dealer he connected with on Snapchat.
Sergio Guerra-Carrillo
The man who sold the fatal pill to Max Osterman, sentenced to six years in prison in 2023 on two distribution charges.
Meta
The parent company of social media platforms including Instagram and Facebook, found liable this week for harms to children due to the design of its platforms.
YouTube
The video-sharing platform found liable this week for harms to children due to the design of its platform.
What they’re saying
“The truth is out, and it's time that they are held accountable for the design of the platforms. They put profits over safety.”
— Kimberly Osterman
“You think your kids are safe in their home, in their bedroom, but that's not the way it is with the current status of social media.”
— Kimberly Osterman
What’s next
Osterman is pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit that is separate from the cases decided this week. She also hopes to see social media companies enact strict guardrails, such as age verification technology, to prevent anyone under 18 from accessing their platforms.
The takeaway
The verdicts against Meta and YouTube demonstrate a growing willingness to hold major social media companies responsible for the harms their platforms can cause to young users. This could lead to more lawsuits and regulations aimed at forcing tech companies to prioritize user safety, especially for minors, over profits.
