The Inside Story Podcast Is social media addictive to youth users?
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Feb 19, 2026 Adele Walton, online safety campaigner and author advocating stronger platform regulation; Donna Dawson, psychologist specializing in adolescent brain and behaviour; Larry Magid, internet safety expert and CEO of ConnectSafely.org. They discuss the California trial and Zuckerberg's testimony. They explore how social media can trigger compulsive scrolling, risks of exploitation, the debate over regulation, and practical family safety measures.
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How Fast Feeds Rewire Teen Brains
- Rapid-fire social feeds give frequent dopamine hits that reward continual scrolling and drive compulsive use.
- Donna Dawson says growing teenage brains are especially vulnerable and show changes in attention and cortical thinning.
Social Media Is Double-Edged
- Social media has nuanced effects: it can harm some users while helping others, such as LGBTQ youth finding community.
- Larry Magid warns against treating platforms as solely good or solely harmful without nuance.
Families Forcing A Reckoning
- Campaigners see the trial as a reckoning where bereaved families' voices highlight systemic harms amplified by platforms.
- Adele Walton argues platforms profit while enabling harmful content that worsens youth mental health.
