Academic expert: Is social media addictive?

The article focuses on the debate surrounding social media addiction, highlighting a recent $6 million California court verdict holding Google and Meta liable for harm caused by addictive social media use. Dar Meshi, an associate professor at Michigan State University, discusses the complexities of defining social media addiction, noting that current research is largely correlational and that the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has not formally recognized social media addiction as a clinical disorder in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Meshi emphasizes the need for rigorous research, clear diagnostic criteria, and expert evaluation to determine whether problematic social media use qualifies as an addiction, cautioning against premature medicalization that could lead to stigma and misallocation of healthcare resources. The article calls for improved data access and expert-led discussions to guide future classification and treatment. [Extracted from the article]