March 25, 2026

expert reaction to Meta and Google being found liable in social media addiction trial

Scientists comment on Meta and Google being found liable in the social media addiction trial. 

Dr Thomas Lancaster from the Department of Computing at Imperial College London, said:

“This is an important case, as so many social media systems are engineered to maximise engagement by their users, with continual notifications to draw them back to the site. There’s also peer pressure to respond quickly to what other people are doing. For many vulnerable users, and this includes those who are underage, the use of these platforms just becomes a habit. Ethically, this has to serve as a warning for the wider technology sector. It’s fine to have policies regarding who can use your service, but if these policies can’t be enforced, that is putting the people at risk – the very people who the policies are designed to protect.”

Prof Chris Ferguson, Professor of Psychology, Stetson University, said:

“Unfortunately this is a very bad decision by the jury. The science evidence does not support these conclusions. Time spent on social media does not predict mental health in youth across scientific studies. But jury trials are often not about science but about emotion. Given we’re in the middle of a moral panic, bad, emotional decisions are common and predictable. What damage they will do to free speech and, indeed, teens themselves, remains to be seen.”

Declared interests

Chris Ferguson: “no COI to declare”

Thomas Lancaster: “I’ve no links with Meta.”