Addiction articles

Meta agrees to pay up to $18 billion to end trial over Instagram, Facebook child addiction claims

Winners & losers: Meta has agreed to pay as much as $18 billion and overhaul how minors use Instagram and Facebook, settling a lawsuit that accused the company of designing its platforms to addict children. Court filings and a Meta blog post confirmed the deal this morning. The agreement ends a trial that began August 18 in Oakland, and was expected to run through early October. It also means Mark Zuckerberg won't have to take the stand as planned. Instagram head Adam Mosseri had already testified before the settlement landed.

TikTok settles three addiction lawsuits as new case blames social media for teen suicides

Meta is bragging about how its AI keeps people on Instagram, while facing lawsuits over addiction

Study shows excessive time online is associated with stress, bad moods, and abandoning enjoyable activities

This $299 flip phone is the anti-smartphone, promises to save you from doomscrolling hell

The rise of "dopamine sites": fake food delivery and shopping apps that satisfy cravings without spending a cent

Meta settles a lawsuit that said it addicted students and left schools to deal with the damage

The EU is going after TikTok and Meta over addictive algorithms and child safety failures

NIH study identifies experimental opioid with strong pain relief and lower addiction risk

"Tech neck" is becoming a new concern as phone use reshapes how we age

Jury reaches verdict in social media addiction trial, finds Meta liable for harm to children

Europe is coming after infinite scroll – TikTok's endless feed is now a legal problem

Big Tech is finally on trial for how it built its algorithms

Why it matters: When jurors in Los Angeles walk into a courtroom this week, they'll confront a question technology companies have long sidestepped: can a line of code, an algorithmic feed, or a design pattern cause psychological harm? The case, K.G.M. v. Meta et al., marks the first personal-injury trial to test whether social media platforms themselves – not just the people who use them – bear responsibility for the mental-health fallout of the digital age.

Snap settles landmark lawsuit over claims its app harmed teen mental health

New York wants social media to carry tobacco-style health warnings

Woman wins $1,380 for going eight hours without a smartphone

US Surgeon General calls for tobacco-style health warnings on social media - it's bad for your mental health

A hot potato: The US Surgeon General wants social media to carry the same kind of health warning labels as cigarettes and alcohol. Dr. Vivek Murthy has called on Congress to apply labels to the sites and apps that alert users to the potential mental health harms they cause.

New fMRI study reveals internet addiction physically changes brain chemistry in children 10-19

Priest arrested for using $40,000 of parish funds on mobile games, including Candy Crush and Mario Kart

WTF?! Mobile games are known for their addictive nature, something that can lead people to spend a lot of money on them. Take the example of the Catholic priest who was recently arrested and charged with stealing over $40,000 from his former parish and spending it on the likes of Candy Crush and Mario Kart.

The EU has given TikTok 24 hours to provide details about its payment-for-views Lite app feature

Mark Zuckerberg wins dismissal in lawsuits that sought to hold him personally liable for social media addiction

Study appears to debunk link between internet use and mental health

Recent video game addiction lawsuit lists five major video game publishers as liable for damages

Utah sues TikTok over China connections, manipulating children with addictive design

Study reveals some teens receive 5,000 notifications daily, most spend almost two hours on TikTok