Social Media Harm Lawsuit: What to Know

Checking and scrolling through social media sites is a relatively harmless thing to pass the time, but anything in excess can be taxing to your mental health.

Mental health professionals classify social media addiction as a form of behavioral addiction.

They believe about 5 to 10% of social media users exhibit signs and symptoms of social media addiction.

Social media addiction symptoms may appear harmless and unnoticeable at first glance.

The symptoms of this behavioral addiction are described in the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS).

The BSMAS is a straightforward self-reporting questionnaire with six sections dedicated to the primary signs of social media addiction, which are:

• Salience: This sign refers to an individual’s need to check and preoccupy their mind with social media sites.
• Mood modification: This sign refers to an individual’s strong reliance on using and engaging in social media to manage their emotions.
• Tolerance: This sign corresponds to an individual’s increasing need to rely on social media to feel better.
• Withdrawal: In relation to tolerance, withdrawal refers to the physical reaction and mental retaliation when the individual is deprived of access to social media activities.
• Conflict: This corresponds to an individual’s inability to perform other activities due to an over-reliance on social media.
• Relapse: This sign is related to the individual’s tendency to revert to social media after abstinence.

Various social media channels are associated with an extensive array of mental health issues, ranging from anxiety and depression to self-harm tendencies and declining self-esteem.

In this section, we will look at some common problems associated with social media addiction and the studies supporting them.

Causing Low Self-Esteem

If you’ve been surfing the internet for a while, you’re probably acquainted with certain claims that social media lowers an individual’s sense of identity and self-worth.

Several studies reveal that the more people spend time browsing Instagram and Facebook, the more they compare themselves to their peers, leading to a significant drop in self-esteem and mental health.

Coincidentally, this effect only appears significantly high in the aforementioned social media channels.

Inciting Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

FOMO is a social notion that predates the creation of social media.

However, Facebook and Instagram have arguably made this phenomenon more prominent and powerful in the 21st century.

People, especially the youth, tend to feel inadequate when they are not invited or included in certain social events because of an unhealthy fear that their peers may be having a better time without them.

Compared to other social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram produced the highest levels of FOMO, as proven by research.

Combating FOMO might be hard, especially for socially-inclined individuals.

However, there are several steps you can take to curb this issue and safeguard your mental health.

Causing Social Isolation

Social media platforms are made to close the distance between friends and families and help people connect with new acquaintances.

Despite this, research suggests that social media might catalyze the feeling of loneliness as people replace in-person interactions with digital ones.

Isolation is a dangerous mental health issue that could grow into a life-threatening condition if left unchecked.

Worsening Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are already a major problem in today’s society, and social media might be making the situation worse.

Studies suggest that platforms such as Instagram can trigger eating disorders in vulnerable individuals by providing a platform for people to compare their bodies to influencers and models whose images have been heavily edited with photo-manipulating apps.

However, this is not the only effect social media inflicts on young users.

Reportedly, many children use social media or digital events as an excuse to skip meals or eat insufficiently.

Developing Depression and Anxiety

Depression is a life-threatening mental health condition affecting millions of individuals worldwide.

This psychological illness is characterized by extreme episodes of sadness, fatigue, and a loss of interest in activities and hobbies.

On the other hand, anxiety is a form of excessive worry and fear which can manifest in physical symptoms such as panic attacks.

It is worth noting that mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety are usually caused by a combination of factors — not just social media usage alone.

Nevertheless, studies have revealed that immoderate reliance on these platforms could contribute to the development of these mental issues.

If you are manifesting depression symptoms and a tendency or inclination to commit self-harm, it’s critical to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (988) right away.

Experiencing Cyberbullying

Although many people associate declining self-confidence with consistent social media use, some people find the strength to be vicious behind their screens and keyboards.

These cyberbullies are often people who use social media as a weapon to attack and humiliate their peers.

Cyberbullying is more dangerous than traditional bullying because it can reach much wider audiences, which could lead to deeper emotional consequences for victims.

For many years, social media giants have taken advantage of their users to share emotionally provoking content to increase usage and app engagement.

A statement from Frances Haugen, a former Facebook manager turned whistleblower, added fuel to the fire.

Haugen revealed that the social media algorithm creates little dopamine loops in the user’s brain, leading to addiction.

As we know by now, social media addiction could lead to various serious mental health issues.

With the looming dangers of social media, parents take it upon themselves to initiate social media lawsuits and hold companies accountable for their extortionate algorithms.

In a published CBS News article, over 1,200 families are filing a lawsuit against social media companies for their children’s deteriorating mental health.

Many of these families accuse the social media algorithm of showing their children harmful content, further contributing to their declining mental health.

Although the legal system has yet to come up with a suitable verdict for these cases concerning social media addiction and its effects on mental health, it’s clear that more action needs to be taken by big tech companies when it comes to user safety.

Social media addiction lawsuits often address the platform’s detrimental effects on a child’s mental health.

Because of this, parents are more likely to recover compensation relating to their child’s mental health issues.

Recoverable compensation from social media addiction lawsuit includes the following:

• The cost of medical care for their child if harm is involved
• The cost of cognitive behavioral and dialectical therapy
• In-patient therapy services
• Emotional distress and mental suffering
• Lost earnings and job opportunities
• Damage to reputation
• Wrongful death

This list isn’t inclusive of all recoverable damages in a successful social media lawsuit.

It is necessary to speak with a lawyer specializing in this kind of case to fully understand your legal rights and options.

Getting the right legal help is critical to a successful case.

Social media is meant to help us connect regardless of distance.

It’s a digital tool that we can use productively to create significant outcomes.

Unfortunately, pushing the boundaries of the digital realm comes with a cost.

With the rising case of dropping mental health, it’s now time for you to take the necessary legal actions against social media platforms and their algorithms.

If your child is suffering from the long-term effects of social media addiction, you have the right to file a social media addiction lawsuit.

With our exceptional and forward-thinking social media lawyers, you equip yourself with the best legal defense in this field.

Start your free consultation today, or use our chatbot for a free case evaluation.