Social media harms young people

In March, I took note when the Los Angeles County Superior Court jury ruled against Meta and Google for negligence that contributed to a young adult’s mental health crisis. The case was dubbed a social media addiction lawsuit. The plaintiff’s lawyers argued that the companies were guilty of negligence because their Instagram and YouTube platforms had addictive features, insufficient warnings, and caused “substantial harm.”

They were found liable and ordered to pay US$6 million to 20-year-old Kaley, or KGM, as the case referred to her. Kaley’s counsel contended that the addictive nature of the platforms resulted in her struggle with anxiety, body dysmorphia, depression and self-harm, among other disorders. According to the case, she began using YouTube at age six and Instagram at age nine.

Kaley testified that the features of the platforms, such as “infinite scroll” and “autoplay,” that encourage people to keep looking at new videos led to her addiction by resulting in 16-hour daily usage. Her lawyers argued that the platforms intentionally designed their addictive nature to ensnare young users.

This is a landmark decision. But when the case started, both TikTok and Snap faced the same allegations as Meta and Google. In early 2026, TikTok and Snap settled allegations that their platforms were fuelling a youth mental health crisis, but they provided no details of the settlement.

Google (parent company of YouTube) and Meta (parent company of Instagram) disagreed with the verdict and indicated their intention to appeal. BBC quoted Meta as having said, “Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app” (bbc.com/news).

We cannot imagine our lives without social media. Every day, over six billion people are online worldwide, with two in three people using social media, of which Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp and TikTok remain the leading platforms, according to the Digital 2026 Global Overview Report (www.wearesocial.com/uk).

Social media is useful. But let us be clear: social media use can impact mental health, and among those at the highest risk are children, teenagers and young adults. While there is merit to Meta’s protestation that a single app may not impact a person’s mental health on its own, usage affects the lives of people with varying social determinants. Therefore, its owners must assume that people are different and take responsibility for creating circumstances that promote adverse effects where vulnerability exists.

Another side of the discourse on this case was the age at which Kaley began using social media. Even parents who use their phones to “babysit” were commenting on why Kaley was allowed to have regular use of social media platforms so early.

I reserve my judgement. Each day I am made to realise that I am (Noah’s Ark) alluvial; that I am from a generation considered outdated and that, mostly, my opinions do not matter much to the people in whose world I live. This remains, though: there should be an age limit to giving the younger ones a mobile phone and better ways to resolve their online access, even if a large portion of their schoolwork is on computers.

Teaching children how to navigate social media is an entire learning process. It is essential, though, because curating a positive social media relationship is necessary. It requires evaluation and a sense of self, as well as an understanding of many environmental factors, to determine how a person is affected. Most adults I know lack a grasp on how to improve their relationship with their phones and social media, so can we reasonably expect that children can?

Social media, with its increasing invasiveness, will remain a permanent factor in our existence. Doomsurfing and doomscrolling are now part of the norm, and unfortunately, bad news and negative content are among the most prominent headlines today. By that principle, we constantly expose our young people to content that negatively affects their mental well-being.

Social media use may increase feelings of anxiety and depression, specifically in teens and young adults, says the website health.ucdavis.edu.

“The addictive nature of social media activates the brain’s reward centre by releasing dopamine… a ‘feel-good chemical’ linked to pleasurable activities,” the site explains. “When we post something, our friends and family can “like” it, giving us a boost of dopamine. However, when we do not get that boost or approval, it can impact our sense of self and adequacy” (health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/social-medias-impact-our-mental-health-and-tips-to-use-it-safely/2024/05).

Imagine a child trying to navigate the emotions or fallout from scenarios like these. Where I have permission to speak up, I am always teaching the few parents of young children in my community how to avoid using the phone to get control of their children’s behaviour and, instead, how to give breaks and how to engage the children creatively.

Recently, I was having a phone conversation with my five-year-old “bonus grandson,” who, like quite a few children in modern times, speaks with an American accent. As we concluded, I said, “I love you, Daniel*” (name changed), to which he heartily replied, “I love you too, Aunty Caroline. Like and subscribe.”

I am still flummoxed. I had to use my hand to close my mouth, but I knew exactly what was happening.