🆘 Addiction to infinite scroll led to court. Meta and YouTube to pay $6 million

A court in Los Angeles has issued a verdict - a precedent for the entire industry: Meta and Google will pay $6 million to a 20-year-old woman who claimed she became addicted to Instagram and YouTube as a child.

The jury found the companies guilty of causing harm to the plaintiff's mental health through design features of their products, such as infinite scrolling.

She signed up for YouTube at age 8, Instagram at 9, and soon spent all her free time on the apps, abandoning hobbies, and later experienced anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia.

Mark Zuckerberg testified in court, defending beauty filters as a balance between risk and freedom of expression, while Instagram head Adam Mosseri stated he does not believe it is possible to be "addicted" to social networks.

Meta has already announced its intention to appeal, calling mental health "too complex to link to a single app."
Life hack for parents who want to protect their children:
iPhone and Android settings include parental control tools. On iOS it's "Screen Time," on Android — "Family Link."

You can set app limits, block installation of new apps without a password, and set up "quiet time" before bed.

But most importantly - let's talk to children in person)

An honest conversation is better than blocks. Don't get stuck here