It’s time to take a stand and follow the example set in the courtroom
Opinion
Social media’s addictiveness has been proven in a US courtroom. It’s time to stop funding these destructive platforms, says Bauer’s Simon Kilby.
Do you ever get your weekly screentime round-up pop-up and look in horror at the hours you’ve spent on social media? It happens to the best of us – we doomscroll our way through Instagram reels, viewing content which an algorithm knows will keep us hooked.
Thankfully, my interests are relatively boring – it was West Ham, cycling and golf that kept me scrolling – but for many others, the content they are served is far more harmful.
Over the last few months, I’ve tried hard to stop using social media, but it’s been difficult to wean myself off the feed, something I’ve had to do day-by-day.
Social media is addictive – and for the first time, a courtroom has proven it
As I’m sure you’ve heard, Meta and YouTube were found liable for intentionally designing addictive products. In this case, they hooked a young user, and it led to her being harmed.
Jurors found the tech companies to be both negligent and having failed to provide sufficient warnings about the dangers of their platforms. This lawsuit was the first of its kind to go to trial, and the jury awarded the victim $6m in damages.
The worst part of this story? None of it – apart from the verdict – is shocking.
There are countless other saddening tales of the fatal impact tech giants have had on young lives, but this is the first time meaningful action has been taken against the platforms.
The courtroom has done what ad land has been scared to do. Punish these toxic channels.
This high-profile case, in my opinion, is a sorry indictment of ad land’s lack of action in standing up and making a positive difference. We all know the damage being done, but the industry continues to pour more and more money into supporting tech giants.
It’s now been proven in a court of law, spelt out in black and white, that these organisations are causing significant harm and, in extreme cases, ending lives.
As an industry, we must now wake up and start to make a difference.
A toxic environment for the future?
If societal reasons alone are not compelling enough for ad land, this court case will surely create a toxic environment for advertisers.
If the ruling opens a Pandora’s box of new cases, the disgraced platforms will not be places any reputable brand wants to be seen.
It’s hard not to draw parallels between this case and “United States v. Philip Morris”, the landmark fall of the tobacco industry. A lack of regulation, an addictive product that causes harm and failing corporate responsibility – the similarities are there for us all to see.
Ad land is currently complicit, and we must do something about it. It’s no longer okay for brands and agencies to bury their head in the sandpit; it’s time to make a stand and stop funding these destructive platforms.
Simon Kilby is managing director at Bauer Media Advertising