When the person who designed doom scrolling tells us that his most ubiquitous creation is dangerous, we ought to listen.

Thankfully, a jury in California did listen when Aza Raskin, inventor of the infinite scroll, testified in a deposition that social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are designed to be addictive.

In the California case, decided March 25, jurors found that Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, as well as Google, which operates YouTube, are liable for harming the mental health of a woman who began using the companies’ products as a child. 

A day earlier, in New Mexico, a jury ruled that Meta must pay $375 million for failing to adequately protect young users from child predators.

We know social media is destructive. These cases should be a reminder.

The California case, in particular, may have enormous (and expensive)........

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