Tech giants face scrutiny over addictive social media design

Regulators and legal entities are intensifying scrutiny of social media giants regarding the psychological impact of their platforms. In Europe, the European Commission is utilizing the Digital Services Act (DSA) to investigate tech companies for “addictive design.” Investigations are targeting mechanisms such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, and highly precise algorithms—specifically TikTok’s “For You” feed—which are accused of creating non-chemical dependencies and preventing natural breaks from screen use.

In the United States, Meta is facing significant legal challenges. More than thirty states have filed a lawsuit alleging that Facebook and Instagram were intentionally designed to foster addiction and mental distress among children and adolescents. Mark Zuckerberg is also named in these proceedings. This follows a previous ruling in New Mexico where the company was found responsible for misleading users regarding safety risks to children. Meta faces potential multi-billion dollar claims and demands for fundamental changes to its application architectures.