Meta really wants you to believe social media addiction is 'not a real thing'

Source: Engadget

Background

Meta faced two major trials this week over alleged harms facilitated by its platforms. In New Mexico, the state attorney general accused the company of facilitating child exploitation and harming children through addictive features. In a separate case in Los Angeles, a California woman sued Meta, claiming mental‑health harms resulting from the company’s addictive design choices.

Meta’s Legal Defense

During testimony, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said social media isn’t “clinically addictive,” likening it to being “addicted” to a Netflix show.

In opening statements in the New Mexico trial, Meta’s lawyer Kevin Huff argued that “social media addiction is not a thing” because it is not listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the handbook used by U.S. mental‑health professionals. He quoted the American Psychiatric Association (APA) as not recognizing social‑media addiction in the same way as drug or alcohol addiction.

“According to the American Psychiatric Association, they don’t recognize the concept of social media addiction in the same way as addiction to drugs and alcohol,” Huff said. “What you see on the screen is what’s called the DSM, which is basically the official manual for recognized mental disorders. The American Psychiatric Association studied this and decided that social media addiction is not a thing.”

Expert Opinions

The APA has never stated that social‑media addiction doesn’t exist. The organization provides information and resources about the topic on its website and notes:

“Social media addiction is not currently listed as a diagnosis in the DSM‑5‑TR—but that does not mean it doesn’t exist.”

Dr. Tania Moretta, a clinical psychophysiology researcher who studies social‑media addiction, agrees. She told Engadget:

“The absence of a DSM classification does not mean that a behavior cannot be addictive, maladaptive or clinically significant.”

Moretta explained that diagnostic manuals formalize scientific consensus but do not define the boundaries of legitimate scientific inquiry. Many maladaptive behaviors are studied and treated before receiving official classification.

She added that there is documented evidence linking “social media use disorder” to psychophysiological alterations (e.g., changes in reward/motivational and inhibitory/regulatory systems) and to clinically significant negative impacts on functioning, such as sleep disturbances, psychological distress, and impairment in social, academic, or occupational domains.

“The key question is not whether all social media use is addictive, but whether a subset of users exhibits patterns consistent with behavioral addiction models and whether specific platform design features may exacerbate vulnerability in predisposed individuals.”

Trials Overview

• New Mexico trial: Jurors have already heard from former employee‑turned‑whistleblower Arturo Bejar and former executive Brian Boland, both of whom have publicly criticized Meta for not prioritizing safety.
• Los Angeles trial: Mosseri’s testimony has concluded, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify next week.

Both trials are ongoing and expected to last several weeks. They will feature extensive internal Meta documents, including details of the company’s own research into the mental‑health impacts of its platform on young people.

Meta also faces a high‑profile trial with school districts in June and lawsuits from 41 state attorneys general.

References

• Original article on Engadget.