This week, social media has taken centre stage. What started as a small number of legal cases around child safety online has evolved into something far bigger, something that could reshape our relationships with everything from AI and gaming to messaging and beyond. I found myself pulled into the situation directly, after my phone started ringing late Wednesday evening with press interview requests asking for my thoughts on what this all means for the future of social media. Well, let’s think back a few years. 

No one can really avoid this story right now. Multiple legal rulings, whistleblowers, and government debates are starting to point in the same direction: the addictive design of social media apps is responsible for mental health struggles in children and in adults alike. Whether it's algorithms and “endless scroll” that can encourage 11-year-olds to spend up to 16 hours a day on a single app, rewards for playing games longer, or AI chatbots that will never just say 'thanks, goodbye', addiction by design is finally in the spotlight. None of this is entirely new, but it does look like it’s finally being taken seriously.

Are we actually about to see a shift here, and perhaps a new relationship with our screens? It feels like we might already be in it.

‍From “neutral pipes” to consumer products

Up until very recently, while most of us know we probably spend too much time on our screens, the legal view was that social networks were basically “neutral repositories.” They host content, not create it. They would remove posts or ban users who were at fault, but all talks of safety on social media were about the content itself.

This week, that shield cracked. The changes could be seismic because they suggest that apps, by their very design, cause health problems. The legal argument has shifted from what is on the platform to how the platform works. By focusing on the “hooks”, such as algorithms, endless scroll, phantom notifications and more, the courts are essentially saying that the “machinery” of social media is what needs to change, not just the content.

What happens next? 

I started researching the impact of social media on society 20 years ago. I did a TED talk on how we can all help build a safer social media in 2019, and I'm optimistic. Big tech moves fast when the legal landscape shifts. They tweak features, roll out safeguards or step back from projects that would attract scrutiny. Will we see a safety catch built into the algorithm? Will we see safe age settings that work? Or perhaps the banning of endless scroll? 

What’s clear is these behaviours aren’t limited to social media. I’m hopeful that AI and Gaming will quickly learn from social media's growing pains, and help build a safer, more intentional future for us all.

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We're helping brands design future-proof social strategies to let them navigate these uncertain times. If you're looking to understand what this means for you, get in touch at hello@battenhall.com