Published March 30, 2026
Your editorial “The Social-Media Shakedown Begins” (Review & Outlook, March 26) dismisses the social-media verdict as a victory for the plaintiff’s bar. It argues that “most children who use social media don’t experience severe problems.” Is this true? A Pew Research Center survey found that nearly half of teens (46%) are online almost constantly—nearly double the rate from a decade ago (24%)—and they’re spending that time mainly on social media. Teens who use social media for three or more hours a day are at increased risk of depression, anxiety and other mental-health problems. This is alarming, considering that a 2023 survey from Gallup found teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 spend an average of 4.8 hours on social media daily.
While it’s difficult to prove social media caused any given individual’s troubles, we must remember the same was once true for tobacco lawsuits. Lawyers for Big Tobacco argued that it couldn’t be proven that a specific plaintiff’s cancer was caused by smoking. However, once epidemiological research on a population level developed and showed dramatically elevated rates of lung cancer, heart disease and emphysema among smokers, the weight of evidence shifted. Moreover, the tobacco industry’s own research revealed that industry leaders knew nicotine was addictive and smoking caused cancer and yet made a deliberate decision to deny this publicly. Sound familiar? With social media, it may be difficult to prove causation for an individual, but once we consider population-level research, the link is undeniable, as it was with tobacco.
Clare Morell is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, in the Bioethics, Technology and Human Flourishing Program. She is also the author of the award-winning book, The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones, published by Penguin Random House. Prior to joining EPPC, Ms. Morell worked in both the White House Counsel’s Office and the Department of Justice, as well as in the private and non-profit sectors.
