Tech companies knowingly hooked kids on social media, lawsuits in California claim

"The Meta researcher's tone was alarmed. oh my gosh yall IG is a drug, the user experience specialist allegedly wrote to a colleague, referring to the social media platform Instagram. We're basically pushers We are causing Reward Deficit Disorder bc people are binging on IG so much they can't feel reward anymore. The researcher concluded that users' addiction was biological and psychological and that company management was keen to exploit the dynamic."

"The top down directives drive it all towards making sure people keep coming back for more, the researcher added. The conversation was included recently as part of a long-simmering lawsuit in a California-based federal court. Condensing complaints from hundreds of school districts and state attorneys general, including California's, the suit alleges that social media companies knew about risks to children and teens but pushed ahead with marketing their products to them, putting profits above kids' mental health."

"One document discussed during a hearing this week included a 2016 email from Mark Zuckerberg about Facebook's live videos feature. In the email, the Meta chief wrote, we'll need to be very good about not notifying parents / teachers about teens' videos. If we tell teens' parents about their live videos, that will probably ruin the product from the start, he wrote"

Internal company messages described Instagram as highly addictive, with staff characterizing themselves as "pushers" and warning of Reward Deficit Disorder from heavy use. Researchers concluded that addiction had biological and psychological components and that management pursued top-down directives to maximize return visits and engagement. A lawsuit by school districts and state attorneys general alleges that major platforms knew of risks to children and teens but continued targeted marketing, prioritizing profit over youth mental health. The litigation targets Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap and seeks monetary damages plus changes to business practices, citing internal documents such as a Zuckerberg email about not notifying parents of teens' live videos.

Read at calmatters.org