“Social media platforms are deliberately designed to be addictive for children.”

The interplay between altered brain physiology and AI-driven content optimization creates a feedback loop that promotes social media addiction among teenagers. These platforms are fully committed to maximizing profits by pleasing the advertising companies, which target specific demographics by creating continuous feeds that keep users on their platforms for as long as possible.

The report defines problematic social media use as a pattern of behaviour characterized by addiction-like symptoms. These include an inability to control social media usage, experiencing withdrawal when not using it, neglecting other activities in favour of social media, and facing negative consequences in daily life due to excessive use. New data from the WHO Regional Office for Europe reveals a sharp rise in problematic social media use among adolescents, with rates increasing from 7% in 2018 to 11% in 2022.

These platforms are especially interesting to younger users because of a number of important design elements that greatly improve user engagement. Infinite Scrolling: The infinite scroll feature is one of the most important design components. This feature makes it possible for users to explore content constantly and uninterruptedly, resulting in a smooth experience that promotes extended use. Algorithm-Driven Content: Another important component is algorithm-driven content, which personalizes the posts that users view based on their previous interactions and preferences.

For years, social media companies have disputed allegations that they harm children's mental health through deliberate design choices that addict kids to their platforms and fail to protect them from sexual predators and dangerous content. The courtroom showdowns are the culmination of years of scrutiny of the platforms over child safety, and whether deliberate design choices make them addictive and serve up content that leads to depression, eating disorders or suicide. Prosecuting attorney Donald Migliori stated, “Meta clearly knew that youth safety was not its corporate priority … that youth safety was less important than growth and engagement.”

Extended social media exposure alters dopamine regulation, reinforcing addictive tendencies similar to substance dependence. Excessive usage correlates with heightened depressive symptoms, exacerbated by social validation pressures and algorithm-driven content cycles.

The ease of access and algorithm-driven content personalization contribute to a cycle of prolonged use, reinforcing addictive behaviors similar to those seen in substance use disorders. Research also suggests that adolescents who spend excessive time on social media (more than three hours per day) are significantly more likely to experience mental health issues, particularly increased symptoms of anxiety and depression.

For social media, approximately 40% of children had high or increasingly addictive use. Both high and increasingly addictive screen use were associated with worse mental health (e.g. anxiety, depression, or aggression) and suicidal behaviors and thoughts. “These kids experience a craving for such use that they find it hard to curtail.

Use of social media is linked with healthy and unhealthy effects on mental health. These effects vary from one teenager to another.

Social Media Algorithms Are Designed to Capture the Brain's Reward System. Algorithms personalize content based on every tap, pause and swipe. The goal is simple: maximize engagement. They do this by activating the brain's reward circuitry, often referred to as the dopamine system. Behavioral research shows that unpredictable rewards are especially powerful in shaping habits.

Social media use may be associated with distinct changes in the developing brain, potentially affecting such functions as emotional learning and behavior.

A Los Angeles jury will decide whether Meta's Instagram and Google's YouTube are addictive and causing harm to teenagers and children — and whether they can be held responsible for it. Meta and Google are alleged to have deliberately designed their products to be addictive to teenagers and younger children. The allegation is that, just as slot machines and cigarettes use particular techniques from behavioral science and neurobiology, the design decisions here were done in a way to maximize the engagement of youth to increase advertising revenue.

Cellphones are addictive for young people. And it's a fact that's been acknowledged by some of the world's largest platforms, who are facing a cascade of lawsuits in the U.S. for designing products to keep users hooked. Former Facebook employee Frances Haugen leaked hundreds of official documents demonstrating that Instagram executives knew the platform was exposing young users to toxic content because it was more addictive and easier to monetize.

Thousands of families – along with school districts and government entities – have sued Meta and other social media companies claiming they deliberately design their platforms to be addictive and fail to protect kids from content that can lead to depression, eating disorders and suicide. Meta executives, including Mark Zuckerberg, have disputed that the platforms cause addiction. The head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, also pushed back on the science behind social media addiction, denying that users could be “clinically addicted”.

The Kids Off Social Media Act would prohibit social media platforms from allowing children under the age of 13 to create or maintain social media accounts and prohibit social media companies from recommending content using algorithms to users under the age of 17. This legislation aims to address concerns about the impact of social media on youth mental health.

Studies have shown that social media has a powerful effect on the brain, and it can create stimulating effects similar to addiction.

The algorithm's sole purpose is to maximize "engagement time"—the amount of time a user spends on the platform. This is why algorithms are specifically designed to be addictive—creating a dopamine-driven feedback loop that keeps users, especially children, coming back repeatedly.

Plaintiffs claim social media platforms employed techniques like slot machines and Big Tobacco to maximise engagement in children, prompting lawsuits across multiple states against Meta, YouTube and TikTok. Social media companies deny the allegations, emphasising existing safeguards and arguing that teen mental health is influenced by numerous factors, such as academic pressure, socioeconomic challenges and substance use, instead of social media alone. Meta and YouTube maintain that they prioritise user safety and privacy while providing tools for parental oversight.

Children are particularly susceptible to being addicted to technology as compared to adults, whose brains are more developed and can control their impulses. Therefore, young minds fall prey to features such as endless scrolling, which are purposefully designed to keep users engaged. Florida has filed a lawsuit against Snapchat, accusing the platform of “features designed to foster addiction in minors.”

A paper published last month in the Journal of Public Health by researchers at the University of Manchester concluded that “the findings challenge concerns that long periods spent gaming or scrolling TikTok or Instagram are driving an increase in teenagers' depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions.” However, the study "does not rule out the possibility of negative effects of social media or gaming in the shorter-term."

In addition to harmful posts on social media platforms, some platform design features may inherently impact young people's mental health. Engaging app features and curated content have been associated with sleep disturbance, compulsive behaviors (e.g., continuously refreshing social media apps), depression, and anxiety, resulting in overall poor mental health and well-being.

Former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen testified before Congress in 2021 that internal research showed Instagram worsens body image for teen girls and that the company knowingly prioritized engagement metrics over user safety, including for minors, through algorithmic features designed to maximize time spent on the platform.