Social Media Addiction Lawsuit

Sean Parker, founding president of Facebook, said in 2017 that the social media platform was designed to be addictive. Ways that social media platforms keep users engaged include the following:

• Infinite scrolls
• Likes/ Reactions
• Intermittent Variable Rewards
• Engagement-Based ranking
• Push Notifications

Parker noted that the above gave users “a little dopamine hit every once in a while” through likes or comments on photos or posts. This creates a vicious cycle of users sharing more content in search of high likes and comments. 

“It’s a social-validation feedback loop … exactly the kind of thing that a hacker like myself would come up with because you’re exploiting a vulnerability in human psychology,” Parker said at an Axios event.

Inadequate Safeguards on Social Media

Most social media platforms say in their terms of service that you must be at least 13 years old to use; however, Meta and several others fail to actually verify a users age—despite the fact that age estimating technology exists. For example, platforms like Tinder use age verification to ensure its users are at least 18. In addition to no age verification, social media platforms fail by: 

• Lack of parental control
• No self-limiting tools 
• No age-based content filtering

Harmful Algorithms Intensify Teen Mental Disorders

One of the most alarming aspects of social media, Meta in particular, is just how harmful and dangerous the algorithms actually are. Not only do these algorithms drive addiction, but Meta’s own internal documents indicate the company was aware that 13.5% of teen girls on Instagram say the platform made thoughts of suicide or self-injury worse and 17% say of teen girls say the platform made “eating issues” worse. 

The MSI Algorithm: How Facebook Led the Way

Legend has it, on windy October nights, you can hear 30-something millennials reminiscing about the old days of Facebook and Instagram. Among millennials, the first generation to adopt social media as a way of life, there’s a yearning to return to the days of chronological order. An ancient time not so long ago when you could log onto Instagram or Facebook and see posts you actually hadn’t seen from people or brands you actually follow.

Unfortunately for millennials and elder Gen Z’s, a return to chronological order is unlikely to happen. The reason is obvious: Meta has no financial incentive to do so.