The Harms of
Doomscrolling
A Call to Quit or Switch.
In 2026, a landmark ruling in LA County found Instagram & YouTube to be defective & harmful products. The jury explicitly stated that the general public is unaware of the harms of doomscrolling. This is what we found.
Introduction
Doomscroll apps being used 4.8 hrs/day by Gen-Z are not safe.
In the early 2000s, the Takata Airbag killed 28 people. Takata paid $857M per life and was bankrupted.
Modern social apps cause that many youth suicides every 2 days, just in the U.S. - thanks to a 70% rise in net new suicides for 10–24 year-olds since social media went mainstream.
This isn’t correlation. It’s causation.
“There will come a day when social media carries warning labels just like cigarettes.”- U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy (2024)
Get the full report.
Every stat, every source, in a single PDF.
Harm 01
Predator Access
17-Strikes-You’re-Out for Sexual Solicitation
Former Head of Safety Vaishnavi Jayakumar testified under oath that Instagram had a “17x” strike policy for accounts trafficking humans for sex - what she called “by any measure across the industry, a very, very high strike threshold.”
Source: USA Today / Northern District of California court filings, Nov. 2025
13% of 13–15 Year Olds Receive Unwanted Sexual Advances on Instagram - Every Week
Meta’s own internal research (unsealed in court, 2026) found that 13% of middle schoolers on Instagram reported receiving unwanted sexual advances in the past week alone. Instagram refused to default teen accounts to private - which would have blocked 5.4M unwanted DMs per day - because executives feared reduced engagement.
Source: Meta internal surveys / Reuters court filings, Feb. 2026
Known Groomers Get Recommended Child Accounts
Unsealed FTC documents revealed that in a single three-month period, Instagram’s algorithm recommended nearly 2 million minor accounts to accounts already flagged for grooming behavior - at nearly 4x the rate adults were recommended.
Source: FTC antitrust / Social Media Victims Law Center, 2025
1-in-5 Teens are Victims of Sextortion in Their DMs
Thorn’s 2025 study of 1,200 young people (ages 13–20) found 1 in 5 teens has experienced sextortion. 81% of these threats are from people the minor has never met, often in foreign countries posing with AI as their peers. 1 in 6 victims were age 12 or younger when first sextorted.
Source: Thorn: Sexual Extortion & Young People, June 2025
$375M New Mexico State Fine for Failing to Protect Children
After a six-week trial, a jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million - the maximum penalty under New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act - finding Meta misled consumers about platform safety and enabled child sexual exploitation.
Source: State of New Mexico v. Meta Platforms, Inc., March 2026
Harm 02
Lack of Content Standards
32,000+ Weight-Loss Videos Served to 13-Year-Old Girls in Weeks
WSJ and the Center for Countering Digital Hate created fake accounts registered as 13-year-old girls on TikTok. Within weeks, TikTok’s algorithm served them more than 32,000 weight-loss videos - many promoting fasting, sub-300 calorie days, and purging techniques. Anorexia has the highest death rate of any psychiatric illness.
Source: Wall Street Journal / Center for Countering Digital Hate; AFP/Levin Law, 2025
52% of Reels Are Already AI - With No Standards
AI-generated short-form videos now account for 52% of TikToks and Instagram Reels. Any human or AI can post anytime with a guaranteed “at least one view” - no content standards, no curation, no accountability. Reels alone reached a $50 billion annual run rate in Q3 2025.
Source: Zebracat AI / Meta Q3 2025 Earnings
10% of US Teens Have Engaged in the “Choking Challenge”
Roughly 10% of U.S. teenagers have engaged in the Choking Game - a viral challenge in which users strangle themselves for a brief high. Many kids never wake up. Doomscroll algorithms amplify this content because it drives engagement.
Source: CDC / CHOP Injury Research Center / Texas A&M, 2022–2026
10.1% of Meta Ads Are Scams
Meta internally projected 10.1% of its 2024 revenue - roughly $16 billion - came from running ads for scams and banned goods. Meta’s platforms were involved in approximately one-third of all successful scams in the U.S.
Source: Reuters / leaked internal Meta documents, Nov. 2025
Harm 03
Harmful Design & Algorithms
Jury: Instagram & YouTube Liable for Addictive Design
In March 2026, an LA jury issued the first U.S. verdict holding social media companies liable for addictive product design harming a child. The plaintiff began using YouTube at 6 and Instagram at 9, later developing compulsive use, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. The jury found Meta and Google acted with negligence and malice. Total verdict: $6M. TikTok and Snap settled before trial.
Source: K.G.M. v. Meta Platforms & Alphabet, LA Superior Court, March 2026
Algorithms Know How Videos Will Make You Feel - Before Showing Them
Social media algorithms use biometric and emotional data to predict how content will make you feel, then use that data to maximize how long and fast you scroll. Anger, fear, and anxiety keep you scrolling longer than love, joy, and calmness.
Source: TikTok Newsroom, 2023
70% Rise in Youth Suicides Since Social Went Mainstream
Adolescent suicide rate (ages 10–24) per social media era: Social Era 6.8 → Highlight Reel Era 8.9 → Doomscroll Era 11.6. A 70% increase since pre-social media.
Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, Data Brief 471
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The Solution
UP’s Scroll Happy® Solution
Scroll less and better so you can live more.
No Predators
Vetted creators only. No anonymous actors. No DMs. Your kids are safe.
Content Curated
Every word, scene, and emotion reviewed before it reaches your feed.
Algorithm Flipped
Optimized for your mental health and happiness - not your scroll time.
+480% Mood Improvement
Dr. Jonathan Nelson, ORU · N=102 · Initial findings
Brain Activity (qEEG)
UP: Attention · Working Memory · Emotional Regulation. Dr. Nate Shanok, FAU · N=11.
Social with
Standards.
Don’t doomscroll. Quit or Switch to UP.
This report was prepared by UP, Inc. for informational and advocacy purposes. All statistics sourced from cited public records, court filings, peer-reviewed research, and journalistic investigations. Copyright 2026 UP, Inc.