Social media can be addictive even for adults, but there are ways to cut back
Social media addiction has been compared to casinos, opioids and cigarettes.
Feb 21, 2026
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Internet
Page 8: Research news on Online child safety regulation
Online child safety regulation addresses legal, technical, and policy frameworks designed to protect minors on digital platforms, particularly social media and search services. Central themes include statutory minimum ages for account creation, mandatory age verification and age assurance technologies, and safety-by-design obligations such as teen defaults and PG-13 content gating. The field also examines platform liability for addictive design and youth mental health harms, constitutional and human-rights challenges to age-gating laws, and the effectiveness of national and regional regulatory regimes in reducing online risks to children.
Internet
Zuckerberg to testify in landmark social media addiction trial
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is set to testify Wednesday at a groundbreaking social media addiction trial, summoned by lawyers representing a plaintiff who alleges Instagram and other platforms were deliberately designed to make ...
Feb 18, 2026
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Instagram boss to testify at social media addiction trial
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri is to be called to testify Wednesday in a Los Angeles courtroom by lawyers out to prove social media is dangerously addictive by design to young, vulnerable minds.
Feb 11, 2026
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Internet
YouTube rejects addiction claims in landmark social media trial
YouTube's legal team insisted Tuesday that the Google-owned video platform was not intentionally addictive or even technically social media, on the second day of a landmark U.S. trial targeting tech giants.
Feb 10, 2026
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Business
India ramps up AI rules for social media platforms
India tightened rules regulating artificial intelligence on Tuesday, requiring social media platforms to clearly label AI content and comply with takedown requests by authorities within three hours.
Feb 10, 2026
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Internet
Jury told that Meta, Google 'engineered addiction' at landmark US trial
Meta and Google-owned YouTube were accused Monday of pushing highly addictive apps on children as a landmark social media trial began in earnest in a California court.
Feb 10, 2026
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Internet
Discord adopts facial recognition in child safety crackdown
Messaging platform Discord announced Monday it will implement enhanced safety features for teenage users globally, including facial recognition, joining a wave of social media companies rolling out age verification systems.
Feb 9, 2026
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Business
Main trial begins in landmark US addiction case against Meta, YouTube
A landmark social media trial began in earnest on Monday that could establish a legal precedent on whether Meta or YouTube deliberately designed their platforms to lead to addiction in children.
Feb 9, 2026
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Business
EU tells TikTok to change 'addictive' design
The EU said Friday that it had told TikTok it needs to change its "addictive design" or risk heavy fines, after the Chinese-owned platform was found in breach of the bloc's digital content rules.
Feb 6, 2026
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Internet
Spain considers social media ban for under-16s, joining others in Europe
Spain plans to ban social media access for children under 16, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Tuesday, in a move designed to shield young people from the harms of online content.
Feb 3, 2026
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