Expert on Addictive Technology Visits Seattle University

Gambling. Shopping. Alcohol.

Smartphones. Social Media. Video Games.

What do all of these have in common? They’re addictive. People can use or misuse each of these to the point that it interferes with their relationships, impacts their daily lives, and ultimately, causes them harm.

In her new book, Unwired: Gaining Control Over Addictive Technologies, Seton Hall Law School Professor Gaia Bernstein examines the addictive nature of smartphones, social media, and other digital media platforms. Last week, Seattle University School of Law’s Technology, Innovation Law, and Ethics program invited Bernstein to speak to alumni and students.

Bernstein’s talk, like her book, looked to the tobacco and food industries as a guide for future regulation. Much like in the past, the rhetoric of today looks to individuals to cut down or cut back, rather than laying the blame at the feet of Big Tech. Screen time limits are akin to the stop smoking campaigns of the 1980s and 1990s. These individual solutions, says Bernstein, are insufficient. By placing the burden on users to reduce their use of smartphones and social media platforms, tech companies mask the systemic issues inherent in the design of these technologies, such as the endless scroll. To combat these problems, Bernstein advocates for collective action, policy changes, and legal reforms to shift the responsibility for technology addiction from individuals to companies.

The good news, Bernstein told us, is that many of these efforts are already underway.  Grassroots campaigns like the Smartphone Free Childhood are working to raise awareness about the harms of smartphones for children and empowering parents and schools to put pressure on government and tech companies to protect children. She also cited the growing research linking social media and smartphone use to anxiety and depression in young people. The evidence has become so compelling, she said, that the U.S. Surgeon General has issued an advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health.

In schools, educators have observed how smartphones are distracting students and keeping them from interacting with one another in-person. The mental health impacts of social media, along with the bullying, violence and potential trauma has motivated school districts to take action. Locally, Seattle Public Schools filed a complaint in 2023 against Meta, YouTube, and TikTok. In addition, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson led a bipartisan coalition of 42 state Attorneys General in a federal lawsuit against Meta to hold it accountable for the harm its product has had on youth mental health. That suit was ultimately unsuccessful and raised First Amendment concerns about government regulation of media.Despite this, Bernstein is confident about additional actions underway to address the issue and encouraged the audience to think big when it came to solutions. She cited California’s recent law, which requires schools in the state to begin banning or restricting social media use in school over the next two years, as evidence of meaningful change. Bernstein also advocated for changes to how we think about space and the way we interact with one another. She is hopeful for a future that doesn’t limit “cell phone free zones” to schools. Imagine, she said, walking into a restaurant and choosing to sit in one of these tech free spaces.

Whether it’s reimagining space or enacting policy to regulate smartphone use in schools Bernstein encouraged her audience to think deeply about the impact our addiction to technology is having and how we can act collectively, rather than individually, to address it.