In Case You Haven't Heard…

The legal battle to label Facebook and other social media sites as addictive in a court of law continues. Last week, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an appeal by the named social media sites, who were seeking to overturn a lower court ruling that said the companies had appealed too early. Many parents, school districts and others have claimed that the sites' business goals were aimed at targeting and addicting children, and they have demanded restitution. Also in contention as addictive are speculative online businesses such as predictive markets, online sports betting and other gambling sites. Whether money or public health will win out is anyone's guess, but some public officials are doing their best to fight for health. Meanwhile, gambling addiction has legitimate treatments. Social media use has been normalized already beyond what could have been imagined. It's now up to teachers and parents to help prevent social media use problems experienced by young people. The rest of us have to turn off our phones and set a good example, until the experts come up with a better solution.