Psychologist Testifies on Social Media Addiction and Mental Health Harms to Young Users

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Excessive social media use by young children is considered to have a significant impact on the mental health of users. This information emerged during a civil trial held in Los Angeles, United States.

Licensed psychologist Victoria Burke served as a witness in proceedings testing whether large technology companies can be held accountable for application designs that trigger mental health problems in young people.

She was called as a witness by the plaintiff’s attorney, identified in court as Kaley GM. The plaintiff had been using YouTube since age 6 and Instagram from age 9.

To the jury, Burke stated she had diagnosed Kaley with generalised anxiety disorder, which was later revised to social phobia and body dysmorphic disorder.

Burke did not draw conclusions about the impact of social media causing Kaley’s problems. However, during cross-examination, she stated that social media exposure was a factor in her mental health issues.

Kaley frequently complained of being bullied online by her peers. She also disclosed to Burke that she had ‘deleted’ herself from social media before eventually returning, according to Reuters.

Nevertheless, Burke acknowledged that Kaley’s social media use was not entirely negative. The girl stated she enjoyed making videos to upload to the platform, but remained frustrated when others took credit for her work.

Regarding the concept of social media addiction itself, Burke stated it has not yet emerged as a recognised phenomenon in her field. It is also not included in the diagnosis section of the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American mental health profession.

Meanwhile, Meta referred to Kaley’s health records, which indicated a history of verbal and physical abuse. She also had a strained relationship with her parents following their divorce when Kaley was three years old.

YouTube’s attorney stated that Kaley had failed to use features designed to protect users from bullying practices, including tools designed to delete comments and limit video watching time.