The Storyup to 5 Nov
Social media's effects on children: lawsuits, age-limit bans and unsettled research
Governments, courts and researchers are weighing how social media affects children's mental health, sleep and screen time, with platforms such as Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube under pressure. In October 2026, a Rutgers research center was announced to study New Jersey teens, and Meta faced an Australian lawsuit over alleged harm to children. Greece joined the push to ban social media for minors, while a UK ban was reported to risk locking out over 100,000 teenagers without ID. US trials over addiction claims continued. On 2–3 November, Snap settled with two teens during a trial, while reports noted the evidence linking screen time to anxiety and depression remains unclear.
8 sources
- Children cut down on social screen time for trial — BBC
- Teen Mental Health: Looking Beyond Screens and Social Media — Psychology Today
- How Does Social Media Affect Sleep? — Sleep Foundation
- Screen use, artificial intelligence and social media: Impact on children and young people — House of Lords Library
- How does social media affect New Jersey teens? A new Rutgers research center will investigate. — Chalkbeat
- NJ's new social media center to examine tech's effect on children — Bergen Record
- Meta faces Australian lawsuit over alleged social media harm to children — Al Jazeera
- Greece joins push to ban social media for minors — Al Jazeera