Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud Will the courts agree that social media is addictive? And, Stan Douglas's 'Tales of Empire' exhibit
Feb 26, 2026
André Alexis, award-winning Canadian novelist and essayist, offers literary context for Stan Douglas’s work. Riley Yesno, Anishinaabe scholar and cultural critic, probes colonial themes and staged histories. Alyssa Mercante, tech and culture reporter, breaks down the Los Angeles trial over social media design and youth harm. They discuss colonial narratives, reconstructed histories, platform liability, and what the trial might change.
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Lawsuit Focuses On Design Over Content
- The lawsuit targets platform design, not content, by arguing apps deliberately engineered addictive mechanics.
- Alyssa Mercante explains plaintiffs sued Meta, ByteDance, Google and others claiming product design caused minors' addiction and severe mental-health harms.
Design Strategy Circumvents Section 230
- Plaintiffs use a design-based approach to circumvent Section 230 protections that shield platforms from third-party content liability.
- Alyssa notes content lawsuits hit First Amendment issues, so plaintiffs instead allege built-in addictive features as the legal theory.
Perceived Social Media Addiction Often Exceeds Clinical Evidence
- Clinical addiction to social media is hard to prove and often overperceived compared with habit or problematic use.
- Alyssa cites a study where 18% self-identified as addicted but only ~2% met criteria for potential addiction.