US trial: are social media platforms addictive?
A court case is underway in the US to determine whether social media platforms deliberately design their websites to be addictive. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted in Los Angeles that there had been temporary shortcomings in the age verification process on his platforms, but opposed restrictions such as a ban on beauty filters.
A test case
La Repubblica comments:
“The trial must clarify whether Google and Meta deliberately designed their platforms to lure young people into irrational use of them, thus damaging their mental health. Last week, psychiatrist Anna Lembke stated that social media is a kind of 'gateway drug' for young people, programming them for addictive behaviour. ... This case is seen as a pilot project for understanding how to deal with the thousands of complaints filed by young people who are addicted to social media. Zuckerberg has acknowledged the existence of 'vulnerable people'. There are three options for dealing with vulnerable people, the plaintiff's lawyer told him: 'Help them, ignore them, or prey upon them and use them for our own ends.'”
Set clear boundaries
We can't simply turn the clock back, Ilta-Sanomat points out:
“Tech giants wield a great deal of hidden power through their algorithms, and research findings also confirm that excessive use of the Internet has many adverse effects. Even if the current lawsuit does not lead to a result, the battle is not over. Hundreds of similar lawsuits are already pending in the United States. That said, today's young people cannot be sent back to playing with sticks and stones like previous generations. Using the Internet is an essential skill in our times. Clear boundaries must be set and children must be taught to use it responsibly from an early age.”