Two recent jury verdicts have cast a harsh light on social media. A New Mexico jury found Meta, owner of Instagram and Facebook, negligent for misleading users about the safety of its platforms. A day later, a jury in Los Angeles found Meta and YouTube liable for “addictive” design features, such as infinite scroll and algorithmic recommendations, that ensnared a young user, causing her significant mental health harms.1 Covering the L.A. trial, a New York Times reporter anticipated the verdict. Criticism of social media has been growing for a decade, he noted, and although 3 billion people use Facebook and Instagram, that doesn’t mean they “approve of social media or even like it.” But, sounding like someone talking about addiction, he added, “they just can’t imagine being without it.”2 Why not? Why does social media have such a grip on so many? Besides Silicon Valley skullduggery, a place to look is in what people say they need it for. In an earlier post, I considered our diminishing social connection. The use of social media, I …