A California courtroom turned its attention to the inner mechanics of social media this week as a leading addiction expert testified that major platforms are intentionally designed to keep users glued to their screens. The testimony came from Dr. Anna Lembke, a psychiatrist and Stanford University professor, who reviewed thousands of pages of internal documents before arriving at her conclusion.
According to Lembke, the apps developed by Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, contain features that function like a digital drug. She testified that design choices intentionally stimulate reward pathways in the brain, particularly in younger users who are more susceptible to compulsive habits.
Expert Calls Instagram’s Features “Potent” and “Drugifying”
The case, filed by a California woman, continued Tuesday with witness testimony outlining how social media shapes behavior. Lembke told the court that after analyzing Meta’s own research, she determined the platforms encourage repeated use in ways that mirror other addictive behaviors.
The psychiatrist, a mother of four and Stanford’s top leader on addiction initiatives, defined addiction as “the continued, compulsive use of a substance or a behavior despite harm to self or others.”
She highlighted tools like Instagram’s infinite scroll and personalized algorithms that she said are engineered to trigger dopamine release. These mechanisms, she argued, effectively “drugify human connection.”
Harms That Follow Addiction
Lembke warned that compulsive social media use comes with mounting consequences. She listed depression, anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders, loneliness, cyberbullying and sexual exploitation as downstream effects of tech overuse. Children, she added, face even sharper reactions, often experiencing rage attacks, screaming, self-harm threats and chronic insomnia.
The psychiatrist said Meta’s own documents indicate the company knows about the risks. She noted that internally, Meta used the term “Problematic Internet Use” as a substitute for the word addiction, suggesting the company is “working hard not to call it addiction” or acknowledge the depth of the harm.
Why Users Struggle To Recognize Addiction
Lembke testified that individuals rarely identify their own dependency on social media. Instead, she said it requires a trained therapist to make the connection.
She explained that therapists who are not educated in addiction often get sidetracked by unrelated issues, spending valuable time searching for deeper causes instead of recognizing the addictive behavior itself.
Identifying The Signs
After diagnosing numerous cases of social media addiction, Lembke said the warning signs typically include frequency of use, cravings, withdrawal symptoms, loss of control and mounting consequences.
Although adolescents are especially vulnerable because their brains are still developing, she testified that anyone can develop addictive patterns when exposed long enough.
Lembke further noted that social media “can function neurologically like other addictive substances, especially in youth.”
At one point in her testimony, she pointed to the experience of neglected or verbally abused children who turn online for relief. “A child growing up in a family not feeling supported or verbally abused, it would be natural to turn to a self-soothing mechanism,” Lembke said.
Alarming Reports Inside Meta
Her testimony came one day after a Meta safety researcher warned executives that as many as half a million instances of sexual exploitation of minors may occur daily on company platforms.
Whether Meta’s CEO will take the stand remains unclear.
Girls Face Unique Risks While Boys Gravitate Toward Gaming
Drawing from internal research and clinical experience, Lembke said Meta knows female users are especially vulnerable. While boys tend to gravitate toward gaming, girls often fall into cycles of negative comparison, body dysmorphia tied to filters and a constant push for validation after seeing idealized faces and bodies online.
Concerns About Weak Age Checks and Parental Controls
Lembke also criticized Instagram for what she called “frictionless access.” She said children frequently bypass the platform’s “ineffective age verification” process by lying about their age.
Parents, she argued, struggle to navigate the platform’s parental controls, which she described as too complicated for even well educated families.
Notifications and FOMO Keep Users Hooked
Among the most addictive features, Lembke highlighted Instagram’s notifications. She called the tool a trigger that generates cravings to re-engage with the app.
She also said the twenty four hour limit on Instagram Stories increases compulsive checking behavior by creating a “fear of missing out,” also known as “FOMO.”
Adam Mosseri, who leads Instagram, is expected to face questions in court on Wednesday.
