Inside the Dark World of Social Media Addiction: the Meta Lawsuit explained

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It is hard to imagine a world without social media, the internet, and access to anything. Whilst platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) provide swift news updates, life hacks, and instant contact with anyone in the world, social media has a significantly dark side. 

Social media can be very toxic; young people specifically often generate unhealthy obsessions with it. Social media lets users portray any image they want, from an unrealistically idealised life to a physically flawless body. Instagram and TikTok influencers often film themselves waking up at the crack of dawn to exercise, only consuming healthy foods. Whilst this may seem harmless to some, and simply another form of content for influencers, many young people become indoctrinated by these false ideals and online personas, obsessively trying to emulate an excessively healthy lifestyle. Psychology Today has suggested that social media posts are not representative of a user’s actual life. Rather, it is exaggerated or sometimes a blatant lie. The latter is specifically detrimental as users forget that posts represent a small snippet of one’s life. 

Psychology Today also highlights the danger of comparing oneself to others: young women are especially susceptible to the dangers of image manipulation. Public figures often use filters to perfect and sometimes completely edit their bodies. Users who interact with artificially flawless content can develop body dysmorphia, distorting the image of their own real bodies. In 2019, the BBC reported that 227 female university students confessed they were comparing their bodies with celebrities. Whilst women have been the ones who traditionally are victimised by body image, men are not exempt from this either. For example, many men have admitted to comparing their muscles and physiques to the men they see online, or at the gym. 

However, social media addiction is more than just body image issues; it's also about becoming obsessed with the life others portray online. When users constantly view such posts, they begin to envision themselves as the people they follow, potentially fabricating an unrealistic, online world. The Centre for Mental Health explains the psychological impact, arguing social media use produces dopamine - the brain chemical that creates feelings of happiness - allowing users to experience short-term pleasure.  This can be harmful to users who become addicted and constantly need to refresh their social media feeds, encompassed by a digital world separate from reality, and its problems. The longer users spend separated from real life, the more likely they are to encounter the darker side of social media. 

Social media addiction affects school performance and daily functioning as users prioritise scrolling through Instagram oversleep. The University of Glasgow has found young people struggle to sleep after long periods of social media use as increased stimulation causes the brain to struggle in preparing the body to rest, keeping us awake.

As further proof of social media’s detrimental impact, Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, is being sued by 33 US states for intentionally designing addictive features targeted towards minors . The lawsuit states: "Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice the youth”, explaining: "Its motive is profit, Meta has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its social media platforms”. The lawsuit further explains how the company’s implementation of manipulative product advertisements to fuel users’ online presence has led to a rise in anxiety and depression. 

Accusing Meta of violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, the lawsuit claimed the company collected data on children under the age of 13 without informing them. They added addictive features like pop-up advertisements tailored to the individual user’s interests based on illegally obtained data.  

A Meta spokesperson stated the company is committed to providing young users with a safe experience online and is introducing 30 new tools to support teens, including age restrictions on certain online interactions. However, this may be too little, too late for existing social media addicts. It is imperative that even if we aren’t avid social media users, we maintain an awareness that the online world is not a true depiction of the real world. No one will ever post the hardships of life, and there is no need to compare ourselves to anyone. Our only competition in life should be ourselves.