All posts tagged: addiction

Meta to Pay Billion Over Youth Social Media Addiction – OpentheWord.org

Meta to Pay $18 Billion Over Youth Social Media Addiction – OpentheWord.org

Published by Sam Flores

Meta, which operates two popular social media sites, Facebook and Instagram, has agreed to an $18 billion settlement after 48 states sued Meta, arguing it had caused youth to become addicted to its social media platforms, CBN reports. In addition to the payment, Meta also agreed to institute several reforms to limit children’s exposure on its sites: Limiting the amount of time a child can spend on its social media platforms each day. Meta will also restrict a child’s usage at night. Many have expressed concerns that children are scrolling through social media when they should be sleeping. Meta has agreed to send out fewer notifications while children are in class. It plans to implement more safeguards on content that deals with eating disorders, bullying, self-harm and suicide. “The head of Instagram testified ahead of court that some of their optional teen protections were only taken up by 1 to 2 percent of teens,” said Haley McNamara of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation commenting on the settlement. “But now that they have been sued …

Meta Reaches Landmark Billion Settlement With States in Trial Over Teen Social Media Addiction

Meta Reaches Landmark $18 Billion Settlement With States in Trial Over Teen Social Media Addiction

Published by Sam Flores

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Meta agreed Wednesday to pay up to $18 billion and add stronger child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms as part of a landmark legal settlement that ended a trial over teen social media addiction and settled claims filed by nearly every state. The settlement resolved a pivotal case years in the making that sought to hold the tech giant accountable for the role its platforms played in undermining children’s mental health. The effort targeted features designed to hook young people’s attention. The agreement “institutes real change, real transparency, real protections for children and teens across the country,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said. If approved by the court, the deal will stop an avalanche of litigation by states against Meta, although the company still faces lawsuits from individuals and school districts throughout the U.S. For the states, the settlement delivers money for mental-health programs for kids, including after-school or summer activities and digital literacy counselors. Advocates cheered the new protections, including default time limits and the disabling of features …

Meta to Pay Up to Billion to Settle With US States on Teen Social Media Addiction

Meta to Pay Up to $18 Billion to Settle With US States on Teen Social Media Addiction

Published by skeptic

Instagram and Facebook’s parent company, Meta, has struck a deal with the US states currently suing the tech giant for intentionally designing its social media platforms to be addictive and harmful to children and teens. If approved by the court, CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the company will avoid a high-stakes trial, whose consequences could have significantly affected how the tech industry operates. Meta says it will pay approximately $18 billion. Reuters first reported the settlement on Wednesday. According to court filings, Meta could pay up to $16.68 billion to states and territories in the agreement. In a blog post, Meta said it will initially pay over $12 billion to participating states, in annual payments over a 10-year period, to fund child safety initiatives. If Snap, TikTok and YouTube join the agreement, Meta will pay an additional $5.3 billion, bringing the company’s total up to $18 billion. Meta said it expects to pay $10 billion in legal expenses in the third quarter. “Today, we have secured a settlement with Meta that will make social media less …

What Life Insurance Companies Know About Addiction

What Life Insurance Companies Know About Addiction

Published by Jenni Sidey

We count steps, track sleep, test biomarkers, take supplements, debate peptides, and search for medications that might slow aging. Yet alcohol, tobacco, and other addictive drugs—some of the clearest threats to a long and healthy life—are missing from this conversation. Life insurance companies do not make that mistake. Their business depends on predicting who is likely to die younger than expected. They study thousands of lives, insurance claims, medical records, prescriptions, driving histories, and causes of death. Insurers use these sources, depending on the policy and underwriting pathway. They want to know what a person drinks, smokes, swallows, snorts, or injects to determine insurability and estimate longevity. A banker in recovery once asked me why a life insurer wanted to know about his former cocaine use, drinking, and addiction treatment. My answer was simple: They want that information to decide whether to insure you—and at what price. Sources of Health Information Life insurers collect premiums while a person is alive and pay when that person dies. Naturally, they want to know about behaviors associated with …

The Way You Use Weed Could Be A Red Flag For Addiction, Study Finds

The Way You Use Weed Could Be A Red Flag For Addiction, Study Finds

Published by Sam Flores

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay ReporterMONDAY, Aug. 24 2026 (HealthDay News) — The way you use weed might be a red flag for heavy use or addiction, a new study says. People who use weed in nearly every form — smoking, vaping, eating and dabbing — are nearly three times as likely to get stoned every day or have cannabis use disorder, researchers reported in the journal Addictive Behaviors. “Our findings suggest that using cannabis in multiple forms may be a red flag for heavier use and symptoms of addiction,” said lead researcher Dr. Omar El-Shahawy, an assistant professor of population health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City. “Asking patients not only whether but how they use cannabis could help clinicians identify when a fuller assessment may be warranted,” El-Shahawy said in a news release. For the new study, researchers analyzed data from more than 17,700 U.S. adults who participated in a federal survey on drug use and health in 2022-2023. Results showed that about 1 in 7 (14%) used cannabis in …

Patrick Ball Awards Chatter Interview About ‘The Pitt,’ Addiction

Patrick Ball Awards Chatter Interview About ‘The Pitt,’ Addiction

Published by Daniella Wilson

Patrick Ball, an actor who is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s top young stars, first burst onto the scene in 2025 with the debut of HBO Max’s emergency room-set drama series The Pitt, on which he plays Dr. Frank Langdon, a senior emergency medicine resident. Langdon works under senior attending physician Dr. “Robby,” who initially regards him as a protégé, but later loses faith in him upon learning that he has been stealing prescription painkillers from the hospital in order to work through a back injury. The show, which marks a reunion of ER star Noah Wyle, writer R. Scott Gemmill and showrunner John Wells, has found a large and loyal audience, garnered massive critical acclaim and last year, for its first season, was awarded five Emmys including best drama series. This year, for its second season, it has landed a field-leading 25 noms, including, in the category of best supporting actor in a drama series, one for Ball, who the TV Academy egregiously overlooked for his work on season one. Over the course of …

What the social media addiction lawsuit could cost Meta | Social Media News

What the social media addiction lawsuit could cost Meta | Social Media News

Published by Sam Flores

Social media giant Meta is facing a landmark trial that could impact its future. Opening statements began on Tuesday in a US federal court case brought by 29 state attorneys general, who have accused Facebook and Instagram’s parent company of designing platforms to encourage infinite scrolling and keep their youngest users hooked, despite allegedly knowing they could fuel addictive behaviour. The company is also accused of collecting data on minors. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The case is expected to last as long as six weeks. If the attorneys general get their way, the Silicon Valley-based tech company might have to make structural changes to its platform and pay as much as $1.4 trillion in fines. While Meta denies the allegations, the potential consequences of this case could be significant for the company, which is already facing low employee morale, waves of layoffs and a series of lagging investments. Significant financial impact The potential exposure to Meta is significant. State penalties could reach as high as $1.4 trillion, Meta has said, although …

painful family rift, abuse, addiction and devastating loss

painful family rift, abuse, addiction and devastating loss

Published by Daniella Wilson

Hayden Panettiere’s death has rocked the entertainment world, after the former child star and Heroes actress was found unresponsive inside an Airbnb in South Carolina on Sunday. “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” her rep told HELLO!. “She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her – and to the millions who watched her onscreen.” © FilmMagicHayden passed away on Sunday in South Carolina Authorities arrived on the scene just before 2 p.m. on Sunday after an acquaintance of Hayden’s called 911. She was pronounced dead shortly thereafter, with police stating that they found no signs of “foul play” or “suspicious circumstances” during their preliminary investigation. Hayden’s life in the spotlight and behind the scenes was far from easy, with the actress battling loss, addiction and trauma over the years. Join HELLO! as we uncover the heartbreaking tragedies she endured before her death at 36. © Getty Images The loss of her brother Hayden’s …

Meta heads to court over kids and social media addiction : NPR

Meta heads to court over kids and social media addiction : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

In this illustration photo from Oct. 28, 2021, a person watches on a smartphone as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveils the Meta logo. Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images Sign up for alerts on breaking news and exclusive reporting from NPR Meta will head into federal court on Tuesday to fend off accusations from a group of state attorneys general that it designed its social media platforms to hook children, lied to the public about the risks those platforms posed and gathered data on kids in violation of the law. The case is the latest in a wave of suits against social media companies, meant to hold them accountable for the way they design their products. Legal experts compare it to landmark litigation against tobacco and opioid manufacturers that changed those companies’ behaviors as well as the public discussion about the risks of cigarettes and prescription painkillers. Four states — California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey — are seeking up to $1.4 trillion in penalties and product …