At last, the most important social media trial of the decade has come to an end. In it, Meta was sued for negatively affecting minors’ mental health by using some of the internet’s best-known dark patterns, such as infinite scroll, across its platforms.
Meta denied everything, but even so, it still came out on the losing side. To the tune of about $12.1 billion, specifically. That figure could rise to $17.1 billion if other major social networks, especially YouTube and TikTok, reach settlements that include equivalent child protection measures.
As part of the settlement Meta has reached, it will activate the following safety protocols for all users under 18 on Instagram and Facebook:
Direct messages are exempt from Night mode, Time limit, and School mode restrictions in order to allow communication with friends and family.
All of these features are still pending approval, and most of them must remain in effect for at least 10 years, as Meta explains in its statement.
These measures will only apply in the 52 states and territories participating in the settlement, so for now, the rest of the world is left out. However, given Meta’s long history of push and pull with the European Union, the most logical outcome is that these measures will make their way there as well. Because if it affected teenagers in the United States so deeply, why would it not have affected everyone else too?
Social networks are to today’s children and teens what television was to children in the 2000s or what the “iPad kids” phenomenon was in the 2010s. Simply because in all three cases, they stay glued to a screen for hours without making a sound.
Those of us who have grown up and witnessed the birth of the internet boom know that it is not healthy to spend hours and hours scrolling through social media. Even less so now, when algorithm design is specifically built to hook you. But of course, we realize that now. Back when we were punished by having our internet or phones taken away as teenagers, we did not like the idea then either.
I see this among people in my circle who already have children saying, “we do not want you to give them anything with screens” or “I would rather my daughter not see me using my phone too much, just in case.” I see it when you go to a playground and there are more kids with phones than on the swings. I see it in older people who, although they were the first to say “never give out your data online” and “you are on your phone all day,” ended up believing every video they see online although is made with artificial intelligence. I see it when I meet up with my friends and we struggle to go more than 10 minutes without checking notifications. But it is not our fault, at least not entirely.
When you have the option to disconnect instantly right at your fingertips, why would you not take it? Society looks for ways to escape everyday life. It always has.
The difference is that the Romans went to the Colosseum, and we… go to Instagram.
As I see it, having these measures enabled by default could be useful for all users. We would all have a time limit, we would once again see our friends’ posts in chronological order, reporting content would be easier… But of course, that would also reduce time spent on the platform, and Meta has no interest in that (like any business, obviously).
I suppose it would not work especially well for me either, considering that I work in social media, right? The truth is that several studies confirm that we are exhausted. The Metricool Social Media Well-Being Report highlights that 46% of respondents (mostly Social Media Managers) have experienced burnout at work and have considered leaving because of the stress involved. Even research from Oregon State University concluded that intensive social media use does not create greater connection, but rather a progressive increase in feelings of emotional isolation and loneliness.
In the midst of the general content saturation we are all experiencing, it is becoming harder and harder to capture attention. To the point that even Instagram itself gives you tips on how to do it. The reality is that studies like this one on digital consumer behavior point out that continuous exposure to high-impact stimuli causes psychological overload that leads to active rejection of the platform or the temporary abandonment of apps.
Audiences are tired of social media, but they are also tired of the global social, economic, and political situation, so they return to it in search of “refuge.” This creates a loop, like a snake eating its own tail. We seek to disconnect while remaining permanently connected.
Image: ChatGPT 2.0 Images
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