Social Media Addiction: Why Shouldn't Platforms Be Held Accountable?

We often hear that if you're not paying for it, you become the product, and this is the truth of social media. Social platforms do not charge a monetary entrance fee, instead collecting their revenue from the silent manipulation and monetisation of our behaviours and interests. The profit comes from the addictiveness of the content which makes sure that people spend more time on the platform. But what happens when this addictiveness leads to tendencies of self-harm or begins affecting the mental health of the users. Can platforms be held accountable for social media addiction among users, especially of young age?

A family has sued social media giant Meta over their pre-teen daughter’s eating disorder. Lawyers for Alexis Spence claim that her “addictive” use of Instagram caused her to also suffer from self-harm and thoughts of suicide over several years.  For teenagers and young minds, social media is a coping mechanism as they spend most of the time to self-soothe and escape the challenges they face in their daily lives. And why just teens, isn't that true for most adults as well? Don't we all turn to social media when we want to tune out our day-to-day stressors and problems?

Social media activates a reward pathway that takes you to content that is similar to the kind that you have liked, in a bid to engage you for a longer duration. Loved a reel on baking focaccia? Hit like on the cute bunny eating carrot? Checked out the profile of a beauty influencer for ten minutes? Well we know what you might want to watch next, do you have some time to spare? Of course.

Suggested Reading: Is Social Media Worth Baring Your Soul To?

But unchecked viewing of videos that glamourise a certain lifestyle or body type can lead to poor self-image among young people. It could also cause a sense of insecurity and discontent. Others seem to be having a blast with their life, they are partying, have tons of money to spend on makeup and food, travel as and when they like...so why can't I have that kind of life? What am I doing wrong?

We all are aware that social media is a lifeline for the next generation. But we also know about how dangerous it can be, so why we can't regulate the fatal consequences of excess usage and addiction? According to a 2019 study by The Lancet Child and Adolescent health, children who used social media sites more than three times a day experienced greater psychological distress and poorer mental health. 

We need to take immediate steps to not only education children about how social media might be negatively affecting their well-being also ask social media platforms- what are they doing to ensure that their young users are protected from harm? What precautions are being taken to ensure that high usage doesn't come at the cost of addiction problem among the young and the vulnerable? The studies are out there for everyone to see, but are social media platform turning a convenient blind eye towards them?

Every minute spent ignoring the problem worsens it to a great extent. So the time to act and to demand answers is now.

Views expressed by the author are their own.