
Ask HN: Has anyone sued social media or gaming cos for addiction/depression? - throwawaybcporn
Now that it&#x27;s widely accepted that social media causes depression and these companies work hard to continue the dopamine feed to addict users, has anyone attempted a lawsuit?<p>If so, how did it go? If not, what is the legal hangup that would make such a suit unsuccessful?
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greenyoda
> what is the legal hangup that would make such a suit unsuccessful?

You say that it's "widely accepted that social media causes depression". Are
there any studies in the peer-reviewed scientific literature that have shown
this? Are there any studies that have shown it's false? If this ever went to
trial, each side would have to bring expert witnesses to testify to these
conflicting claims, and a jury would need to decide which side was more
credible.

Also, a plaintiff who claimed that social media or gaming caused their
depression would have to prove that this was actually the case. How would they
prove that their condition wasn't caused by something else in their life (or
just by genetic predisposition) and that their addiction to social media
wasn't just a symptom of their condition? Will your psychiatrist testify to
this on your behalf? (Don't have a psychiatrist? So how do you know that
you're actually suffering from depression?)

Finally, chances are that most of the members of the jury will be social media
users who enjoy it or at least don't consider their lives to have been damaged
by it. You'll have to convince them that something that they do every day
without ill effects has somehow harmed you.

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stuqqq
Should people with alcohol addiction sue alcohol businesses? Should people
with obesity sue fast food? Under what circumstances should we blame it on
lacking self control or gut bacteria or not having acetaldehyde dehydrogenase
gene mutation? Being a gaming addict, I want to sue video game companies to
get some free games.

