Are companies at fault for being addicting?

@Great-Big-Stees said
I may be addicted to RHP as I have been “playing” here for 20+ years and as can be seen, like most compulsive gamblers, my losses far outweigh my wins.😲

Your move count is 🙂

@wildgrass said
Your move count is 🙂

Is what?🤔

@Great-Big-Stees said
Is what?🤔

Impressive.

@wildgrass said
Impressive.

Thanx but one must remember it’s taken 20+ years. Hell, some on here, have made millions moves in much less time.😁

@wildgrass said
I think social media companies would be protected from most of these lawsuits moving forward if they agreed to use disclaimers regarding known harms on their websites/apps and age verification.

A disclaimer might offer some legal protection for the platforms, but none for under-aged users.

We may yet see mandatory age verification for some apps and platforms.

I would very much like to see better policing to keep out bots and multiple-fake accounts.

@wildgrass said
The "other things also do this" argument is nonsense rhetoric. I could drive a car off a cliff, or I could also drive a SCOOTER off a cliff. Gotcha!

While I'm not a lawyer, what I've read about this issue is that lawsuits against social media are based on faulty product design that knowingly caused harm. Like if you put candy in a bag and sold it, versus if you mixed candy and broken glass in a bag and sold it because you thought that would make you more money.

If you are concerned about the legal implications of people driving off cliffs then it’s worth looking at the laws about horses and buggies.

This concern came up about email in the 90s and it’s relevant. No need to be a douche though I can see it’s hard for you to suppress that part of yourself.

https://netaddiction.com/kimberly-young/

Dr. Kimberly Young is a licensed psychologist and an internationally known expert on Internet addiction. She founded the Center for Internet Addiction in 1995

@AThousandYoung said
If you are concerned about the legal implications of people driving off cliffs then it’s worth looking at the laws about horses and buggies.

This concern came up about email in the 90s and it’s relevant. No need to be a douche though I can see it’s hard for you to suppress that part of yourself.

https://netaddiction.com/kimberly-young/

Dr. Kimberly You ...[text shortened]... ly known expert on Internet addiction. She founded the Center for Internet Addiction in 1995

I didn't mean to come off douche-y. It just seems like a "books/email/songs/movies are also addictive" argument would be like defending yourself at a murder trial by saying that "people die of other causes too".

The people bringing the lawsuits against social media companies were harmed by their products. They are trying to make the case that the platforms deliberately caused the harm in their product design. I don't think the same logic applies to email unless you show that the product was designed to harm people.

@vivify said
https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/08/11/us-court-rejects-meta-google-and-tiktoks-lawsuit-immunity-claims

Meta (Facebook), Google and TikTok were sued for being "too addicting".

[quote]A US appeals court has ruled that lawsuits accusing Meta Platforms, Google and TikTok, along with other social media companies, of designing addictive platforms can proceed, particularly o ...[text shortened]... ddicting"? Or what about music designed in a way to be a massive hit that gets constant radio play?

This is a free country. A person CHOOSES what they do, day in and day out.
If i go on one of those wokie sites and say something or invest in something that comes back to haunt me, are you suggesting that someone besides myself would be to blame??? That, i could hold them responsible for my actions?. I am responsible for my 3-yr old, but please tell us how that responsibility could be extrapolated to my making a bad choice?