Social media companies are being sued for harming their users’ mental health – but are the platforms addictive?

The Guardian - World NewsEN 5 min read 100% complete by Hannah Harris GreenFebruary 8, 2026 at 04:00 PM

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long article 5 min

Lawsuits against Meta and YouTube, often called "social media addiction trials," allege the platforms harmed users' mental health as children, leading to issues like depression and self-harm. While Snap and TikTok settled an initial case, Meta and YouTube are contesting the claims, arguing they prioritize user safety. The plaintiffs argue addiction is a precursor to the harm, but the scientific community debates whether social media is truly addictive, preferring terms like "problematic use." Experts acknowledge potential harm from features like social comparison and algorithmic amplification, but proving clinical addiction is challenging. The trial against Meta and YouTube has been delayed.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

University of Melbourne 40% Northwestern University 40% Ofir Turel ×260% Jessica Schleider ×360% TikTok ×370% Google ×270% Snap Inc ×370% YouTube ×380% Meta ×590%

Keywords

social media 100% mental health 90% lawsuits 80% addiction 70% problematic use 60% use disorders 60% self-harm 50% depression 50% algorithmic amplification 40% eating disorders 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.20

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Source

The Guardian - World News

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis.

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social media mental health lawsuits addiction problematic use use disorders self-harm depression algorithmic amplification eating disorders

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