Meta and Google Lose Landmark Social Media Addiction Case: What Now?

A jury found on Wednesday that addictive design features led to a young user’s mental health distress. Meta and YouTube have been forced to pay a total of 6 million USD in damages, while TikTok and Snap (owner of Snapchat) settled outside of court.

The plaintiff cited the addictive design of the products, comparing them to cigarettes and online casinos. She claimed that her addiction to them caused her to develop anxiety, body dysmorphia and suicidal thoughts. The court found the social media giants liable. This bellwether case may set fascinating precedent for thousands of similar claims from young people and school districts, which is that social media can cause personal injury.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and founder of Meta, took to the stand. “If people feel like they’re not having a good experience, why would they keep using the product?” Zuckerberg said in defence of his platforms, an argument that perhaps would have been better made on the other side of the fence. Addiction doesn't depend on enjoyment, it depends on compulsion.

Internal documents from Meta presented to the court clearly showed the company's intention to target young people: “If we wanna win big with teens, then we must bring them in as tweens”. Another showed that 11-year-olds were four times more likely to return to Instagram than users of competing apps, despite the platform's minimum age being 13. What else is this but a social media giant identifying the age at which children are most vulnerable to habit formation, and engineering their product accordingly?

The case has been compared by some commentators to the takedown of Big Tobacco, when Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds were accused of hiding information about the harmful nature of cigarettes. This case concluded in a 206 billion USD settlement, the implementation of strict regulations, and ultimately would play an important role in the subsequent decline in tobacco use.

Exactly how significant this case actually ends up being, one thing is clear: We’re on the move away from excessive social media use. From the trend of 'dumb phones', to countries like Australia and the UK passing bills that ban social media use for under 16s, the overarching sentiment is clear when it comes to our scrolling habits: What was once normal, is now starting to be seen as potentially dangerous, especially for young people.

If you haven't given your own social media habits much thought, it’s worth taking a step back and looking honestly at the way you use your phone. Ask yourself how much time you're spending on your phone. Are you happy with number? How much time will you end up spending on social media over the course of your lifetime if that number doesn't change?

If the answer frightens you a little bit, don't panic, take action. If you decide you want to dial your use back a little bit, setting limits, being more intentional about when you log on, and replacing passive scrolling with something more active are small steps that can make your scrolling habits healthier.