"Recent jury decisions finding Meta and YouTube liable for harms associated with addictive platform design suggest something more structural is at play. These rulings indicate that social media is not a neutral tool that a subset of users may use excessively."
"From a clinical standpoint, this aligns with a growing phenomenon of emotional dependence. Users often describe a lingering pull to return to an app even when the experience has ceased to be enjoyable."
"The comparison to substances like tobacco and opioids shows the addictive power of social media. In both cases, the design and engagement strategies are engineered to retain user attention at the expense of psychological health."
Recent jury decisions against Meta and YouTube highlight that social media platforms are engineered to capture attention, contributing to mental health issues. The adolescent brain is particularly susceptible to these reward-driven systems. Clinicians and educators need to reconsider their approaches to digital exposure, recognizing that managing screen time alone is insufficient. The addictive nature of social media parallels substances like tobacco and opioids, emphasizing the need for a structural understanding of its impact on users.
Read at Psychology Today
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