A high-profile trial against Meta and Google began in Los Angeles this week, testing claims that the social media platforms are designed to be addictive. The question has plagued regulators for more than a decade, with social media addiction cited in connection with increased anxiety, body image issues, suicidal ideation, and poor mental health in adolescents.
Now that Australia has banned social media for individuals younger than 16, it is the largest real-world test case for how the platforms directly impact the mental health of minors. If the harms laid out by politicians and academics for a decade are as severe and widespread as claimed, we should start to see some real results.
But so far, there haven’t been a ton of formal studies on the issue. There are some new surveys, but based on a review of projects that have been announced, most appear to be limited in scope, and few organizations outside the country are participating. There’s a real opportunity here to figure out one of tech’s biggest problems — technologists and researchers just need to start taking advantage of it.