Recent lawsuit found that social media is addictive and can cause anxiety and depression in young people.

Mental illness in youth increased when children began using smartphones in the early 2020s.

We can stop this harm by creating more personal connections and encouraging free play.

Raising the age of internet use to 16 and making schools phone-free will also help.

Recent lawsuits have confirmed what many of us have suspected—that social media is addictive and can cause anxiety and depression in young people. In March 2026, a California jury found Meta and Google liable for deliberately making apps, including Instagram and YouTube, addictive, undermining the mental health of children and teenagers (epic.org, 2026).

Psychologist Jonathan Haidt (2024; 2026) attributes the dramatic rise in young people’s anxiety and depression to their extensive use of social media, noting that mental illness increased in many industrialized countries when children began using smartphones in the early 2010s. By 2022, 46 percent of teens reported that they were using the Internet almost constantly (Haidt, 2026).

Substituting social media for in-person interactions, play, and conversations with friends compromises young people’s emotional and intellectual development. Recently, New York State United Teachers president, Melinda Person, said that the constant use of personal electronics is affecting students’ ability to focus, connect with their fellow students, be present in reality, and engage in authentic learning.........

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