Children and social media addiction |
Among the legally sanctioned addictions of our society, such as nicotine and gambling, social media has been added to the list. Social media was originally an enjoyable distraction, but alarm bells, litigation, and government regulations are now shining a harsh light on the addictive and harmful effects of social media, and especially on children and young adults.
Australia has banned social media, described as “behavioural cocaine,” for anyone under the age of 16 (https://tinyurl.com/4dxu6nmu), and other countries are considering a similar ban. Last month a Los Angeles jury awarded a young woman, identified as K.G.M. or “Kaley,” $6 million in damages in her suit against Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, and YouTube, owned by Google. She asserted that these platforms used intentionally addictive design features leading to her childhood addiction to social media and lasting mental health issues (https://tinyurl.com/ynwyaa6b).
An adult is largely responsible for their own choices regarding social media, but a parent or adult with parental responsibilities should take steps to counter the threat........