Coach Ziana, CBT, CLC

coach-ziana.com
coachziana@gmail.com

Social Media Addiction Lawsuits:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapist & Life Coach. Certified by the Academy of Modern Psychology.

"Faith-based" does not mean that I will impose my religious or spiritual beliefs upon anyone. It means that I will not dismiss the reality that beliefs that are important to many of us, whatever they may be, and that we must honour them even in therapy. I respect all religions with peace and love as their foundations, and encourage tolerance as a basis for a more peaceful world.

Right up front, I'm a Psychoanalyst/CBT Practitioner. Technology is not my area of expertise, but the effects of Social Media Addiction is. I've been railing against it for a couple of years now, wondering why I was the only one seeing this massive train about to go off it's tracks. So now it begins. For once I will say, I told you so, to those who thought I was exaggerating, being “too sensitive,” taking everything too personally, and so on. I wasn't any of those things. THIS is what's coming down the pipeline right now, as I write this:

The terrain is shifting with uncertainty in Social Media land of late, what with addiction-related lawsuits against Meta, and the end of “end-to-end encryption” as of May 8th of this year. You don't have to be a prophet to have seen the signs. Pendulums always swing too far to one side and then to the other for a time until they settle back down in the middle again. Hopefully, now is the onset of the return to reality. I can't say I'm sorry!

As a follow-up to yesterday's post regarding the lawsuit against Meta for addiction (California verdict, a jury found Meta and YouTube liable for negligence...) I've done a bit of research on this topic. Here's a bit more info on what “Meta” is, the impending lawsuits, and a bit of data on Social Media Addiction.

WHAT IS META?

Meta Platforms, Inc. (formerly Facebook, Inc.) isa major American technology conglomerate that owns:
- Facebook,
- Instagram,
- WhatsApp,
- Messenger,
- Threads,
- Meta Horizon,
- With a focus on building social media, advertising technology, virtual reality (Meta Quest), and the metaverse. Rebranded in 2021, Meta aims to transition from social networking to immersive digital experiences, often described as "beyond".

Primarily a technology conglomerate, Meta generates nearly 98% of its revenue from advertising across its apps.

LAWSUITS:

More than 10,000 individual cases are pending, alleging addiction-related personal injuries.
School District Lawsuits: Nearly 800 school districts have filed suits alleging the addictive platforms create economic burdens and disrupt education.
State Attorneys General: More than 40 U.S. States have brought lawsuits against Meta regarding mental health impacts.
Class Action Potential: Similar lawsuits are proceeding in other countries, including Canada, with the potential to involve thousands of children.

DID YOU KNOW THAT...?

210 million people worldwide suffer from addiction to social media and the internet. With over 56% of the global population active on social media, this behavioral addiction is rising, especially among youth, with some studies indicating that 5% to 20% of teenagers struggle with social media addiction.

Widespread Social Media Infidelity:

Roughly 10% of affairs are estimated to start on social media platforms.
Dating App Usage: Approximately 18% to 25% of Tinder users are in a committed relationship while using the app.
"Micro-Cheating": About 25% of adults report that their partner's social media interactions have caused jealousy, and over one-third of 18–29 year olds report jealousy over social media interactions.
Social Media is cited in roughly 33% of divorce filings that involve social media infidelity.
Roughly 1 in 5 people admit to using their smartphone to flirt with someone they are not dating.
Key 2026 Social Media Addiction & Usage Data:

Total Users: Approximately 5.66 billion active social media users.
Addiction Prevalence: Roughly 210 million people are considered addicted.
- Addiction Symptoms: Those addicted may show signs like compulsive use, withdrawal symptoms (anxiety when disconnected), and emotional distress.Many users check platforms frequently, with 60% unable to go more than a few hours without checking.

THE END OF END-TO-END ENCRYPTION:

Meta will be removing end-to-end encryption on May 8, 2026. This means private conversations will no longer be hidden from Meta's systems, allowing for potential content scanning.

The shit, as they say, was sure to hit the fan sooner or later. It was just a question of when. It looks like that “when” is starting now. Personally, I'm happy to see more people rising up against this unethical nonsense.

Over and out,

Coach Zee.