Social media giants have been facing lawsuits in the United States over issues of addictive algorithms, especially to younger people. Are you addicted to your phone more than you realise?
A mindless habit of scrolling down to the depths of algorithms may just be another normal day to most people, particularly in this age of having everything you need in your phone.
And the American Psychiatric Association does not recognise phone addiction as a condition.
However, medical professionals and researchers still regard the habit as damaging.
According to Pew Research Center, in 2023, 95% of teens ages 13–17 have access to a smartphone, with 54% of them saying giving up social media would be hard.
After all, everything we need to be informed and entertained is accessible within a few taps.
With this habit going on for the past decade, do our devices hold a huge amount of our waking life more than we know?
Social media giants facing lawsuits
Meta is currently facing its biggest lawsuit yet after being sued by 29 US state attorneys over claims that its platform “hooks” younger people to be addicted to social media algorithms and recommendations, leading to mental health concerns.
According to the 29 states involved, the improper use and collection of personal data from children under 13 years of age violates US federal laws.
The states of California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey claim that the company designed its platforms to be addictive for younger users, contributing to anxiety, depression and even suicide.
They are now seeking $200 billion in damages.
READ MORE: United Kingdom to join Australia in banning social media for minors, says Keir Starmer
Too much time online?
The features under boiling waters are infinite scrolling, push notifications and hard-to-find features that were meant to help teenagers, such as Take A Break and Quiet Mode.
Meanwhile, Meta denies the accusations, claiming that its research observed no correlation between youth’s social media usage and lack of wellbeing.
Aside from Meta, social media messaging app Snapchat has also faced a lawsuit from Pennsylvania attorney general Dave Sunday.
Snapchat’s Snapstreaks, infinite scrolling, autoplay, push notifications and disappearing messages are under fire as it allegedly encourages youth to spend more time in the app and let the company earn more ad revenue.
“Snapchat has designed its platform to lure children into constant, compulsive use that is detrimental to healthy adolescent development,” Yahoo News quoted from Sunday’s statement.
Actions, for now
Minors are much more vulnerable to potentially harmful algorithms or communities, especially during their developing years.
Currently, several countries have been taking action to limit or ban social media for ages 16 and below.
Among these are Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Austria, Brazil and Indonesia.
While legislation and research are underway, for now it is important to draw a line between what is healthy and what is damaging as well as be vigilant with how the internet works.
A good question would be: Does the problem sit with you? Or with them?
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Elan Castanares 
Rosemarie Zamora 
Geoffrey H. Latayan