Therapist testifies social media damages children’s inner lives during Meta trial
A psychoanalyst testified at a landmark social media addiction trial that the platform is harming young people's mental health and sense of self.
Trial testimony reveals deep impact
During the recent legal proceedings involving Meta, a therapist described a disturbing exchange with a plaintiff who had used social media since age six. When asked to imagine a perfect day, the young woman replied that she would simply be prettier. This response illustrates how the platform can contract a child's world into a single preoccupation with their own image.
Youth struggle with self-image
The therapist noted that many teenagers feel consumed by an unrelenting focus on how they appear to others. These patients often lack a clear sense of what matters to them beyond their standing in the eyes of peers. Such struggles are frequently accompanied by anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and social withdrawal.
Link to mental health crisis
Researchers and clinicians have connected these symptoms to heavy usage of social media platforms. The public conversation has largely focused on documented behavioral outcomes rather than the full range of human desire affected by these tools. Clinicians argue that current discussions do not sufficiently address how these apps impact inner lives.
Reported by one outlet
Only one outlet has published this. Nothing here has been checked against a second report, so read it as that outlet's account and follow the link below for the original.
Reported by
1 independent outlet. Headline as published. Links open the original report.