Holding Meta and Google Responsible for Addiction Is Wrong

"The ruling delivered on March 25, 2026, holding Meta and Google responsible for purposefully designing social media platforms to be addictive, and knowing it can be harmful, is flawed at multiple levels. At its core, this ruling negates personal responsibility for choices."

"Addiction is not a one-dimensional construct that is contributed to by a single factor. The ruling ignores extensive medical research showing that a multitude of factors increase or decrease the risk of addictive behaviors."

"Simply blaming Meta and Google is a massive oversimplification and will likely reinforce the problem by both ignoring certain important causes as well as creating a financial incentive for proving harmful effects."

"Social media addiction is a construct that does not technically exist as a medical entity. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th Edition (DSM-5), does not consider social media addiction to be a legitimate diagnosis."

The ruling against Meta and Google for designing addictive social media platforms is flawed, as it overlooks personal responsibility and the complexity of addiction. Addiction is influenced by various factors, including genetics, mental health, and social environment. The verdict simplifies the issue by blaming companies without addressing the root causes of social media overuse. Furthermore, social media addiction is not recognized as a formal medical diagnosis by the DSM-5, which complicates the legal argument linking addiction to harmful outcomes.

Read at Psychology Today