Testimony Reveals Addictive Nature of Social Media in New Mexico Lawsuit

An expert witness in New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torres’ case against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, provided compelling testimony about the addictive qualities of the company’s social media applications. The witness, Dr. Anna Lembke, likened social media use to a “drug,” particularly when it comes to its impact on younger users.

This pivotal lawsuit accuses Meta of exposing children to significant risks, including “sexual exploitation and mental health harm.” The case continued in a New Mexico courtroom as Dr. Lembke shared her findings from extensive research.

Dr. Lembke, a psychiatrist and Stanford University professor, reviewed thousands of internal documents and the social media giant’s own research. She concluded that the design features of these apps can be classified as addictive. As the leading figure in addiction studies at the university, she defined addiction as “the continued and compulsive use of a substance or behavior despite harm to self or others.”

She pointed out that features like Instagram’s “infinite scroll” and tailored algorithms encourage dopamine release, effectively “narcotizing relationships.” Additionally, Dr. Lembke described the potential negative effects of social media addiction, which can include depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and self-harm, stating that children are especially at risk of becoming victims of cyberbullying and sexual exploitation.

Dr. Lembke noted that Meta is aware of the problem, referring internally to “problematic internet use” rather than admitting to the severity of social media addiction. She emphasized that individuals often struggle to identify their own addiction and usually need professional help to diagnose it accurately.

Highlighting the frequency of use and withdrawal symptoms, Lembke explained that addiction can develop in anyone, though adolescents are particularly vulnerable due to the ongoing development of their brains. In a context where a child might not feel supported, they may turn to social media as a method of self-soothing.

Interestingly, safety researchers at Meta themselves warned of over 500,000 cases of minor sexual exploitation occurring on their platforms daily. Dr. Lembke mentioned that internal documents revealed a gender disparity in vulnerabilities, where girls are more likely to suffer from negative social comparisons and body image issues due to filtering and societal ideals portrayed online.

Furthermore, Dr. Lembke criticized Instagram’s lax age verification process, noting that many children lie about their ages, making parental controls overly complicated for even the most well-educated caregivers to navigate.

Among the app’s other addictive features, she pointed out the notification system, which essentially “triggers” users to return to the platform constantly. The pressure created by the time-limited Stories feature fosters “FOMO,” or fear of missing out, making users refresh their feeds more often.

As for the ongoing proceedings, Instagram’s head, Adam Mosseri, is expected to be questioned in court soon. While it remains uncertain whether Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify, the revelations from this case continue to raise important questions about social media’s impact on mental health and safety, particularly for young users.