Former U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah Brett Tolman Discusses Big Tech in Court Over Claims That Social Media Is Addictive on ‘The Bottom Line’.
An expert witness in a case brought by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, testified that the design features of its social media apps are addictive, likening them to a “drug,” especially when it concerns youth.
The landmark case, in which Torrez accuses Meta of exposing children to “sexual exploitation and mental health harm” through interactions on the platform, continued Tuesday in a New Mexico courtroom with witness testimony.
Dr. Anna Lembke, a psychiatrist and professor at Stanford, told the court that after reviewing thousands of pages of internal documents and reviewing social media companies’ own research, she determined that the design features of social media are addictive.
The mother of four, the highest-ranking person to oversee addiction initiatives at the university, defined addiction as “the persistent, compulsive use of a substance or behavior despite harm to self or others.”
Lembke argued that Meta is deployed ‘powerful’ features, such as Instagram’s ‘infinite scroll’ and tailor-made algorithms, to stimulate the release of dopamine that ‘numbs the human connection’.
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An expert witness testified Tuesday that social media apps like Instagram are addictive, likening them to a “drug,” especially when it concerns young people. (Getty Images / Getty Images)
Lembke said social media addiction can lead to the following harms: depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm, loneliness, suicidal thoughts, cyberbullying and sexual exploitation. Children, she added, are especially prone to fits of rage, screaming, threats of self-harm and insomnia.
After reviewing Meta documents, Lembke argued that the tech giant is aware of social media addiction and has internally used the term “Problematic Internet Use” as a synonym, indicating that the company is “working hard not to call it addiction” or recognize the severity of the problem.
Lembke testified that individuals would rarely be able to identify a social media addiction on their own and would need an experienced therapist to diagnose it.
She explained a therapist Those who are not trained in addiction may spend a lot of time talking about other things, or looking for underlying reasons, instead of focusing on the addictive behavior.
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New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez accuses Meta of exposing children to “sexual exploitation and mental health harm” through interactions on the platform. (Jemal Gravin/Getty Images for Accountable Tech/Getty Images)
After diagnosing people with social media addiction, Lembke said identifications typically include frequency of use, loss of control, cravings and withdrawal, consequences and risk factors.
Although adolescents are particularly vulnerable due to brain development, Lembke said anyone can develop an addiction with enough exposure.
She added that social media can function neurologically like other addictive substances, especially in youth.
“If a child grows up in a family that feels unsupported or scolded, it would be natural to turn to a self-soothing mechanism,” Lembke said.
On Monday, a Meta security researcher also warned executives that more than half a million cases of sexual exploitation of minors could occur on social media platforms every day.
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It is unclear whether Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify at the trial. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Citing Meta’s internal documents, Lembke said the company recognized that women are more vulnerable to social media.
She added that through her own clinical work, boys are more prone to gaming, while girls experience “negative social comparisons,” body dysmorphia caused by filters, and an increased need for validation and approval after viewing idealized bodies and faces that girls can’t measure up to.
She further criticized Instagram for offering “frictionless access,” noting that children often lie about their age during the platform’s “ineffective age verification process,” and that parental controls are too complex for even well-educated parents.
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Among other addictive properties of The Instagram appLembke described the notification tool as a powerful feature that “triggers” or induces the urge to return to the platform. She added that the 24-hour time limit on stories creates a “fear of missing out” or “FOMO,” forcing users to check the platform more often.
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri is expected to be questioned in court on Wednesday.
