Texas Social Media Withdrawal Claim Attorneys Handling Claims for Mental Health Issues Caused by Excessive Social Media Use Nationwide
Social media platforms designed their products to be addictive, employing sophisticated algorithms and psychological manipulation techniques that trap users, particularly children and teenagers, in cycles of compulsive use that damage mental health. Internal documents from Meta, TikTok, and other tech giants reveal they knowingly deployed features that exploit dopamine responses, despite research showing links to depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide among young users. Our attorneys represent families nationwide whose children have suffered severe mental health consequences from social media addiction and social media withdrawal, including eating disorders, body dysmorphia, sleep deprivation, and tragically, suicide. We’re holding these billion-dollar corporations responsible for social media sites, responsible for the widespread social media addiction, for harming an entire generation. Our Texas social media withdrawal attorneys are seeking compensation for medical treatment, therapy costs, and the immeasurable damage inflicted on young lives.
If you or a loved one has suffered harm due to social media withdrawal, you have the right to seek compensation. Our Texas social media addiction lawyers are fighting back against the developers of the most popular social media apps. To schedule a consultation about your social media addiction lawsuit, call us today at 713-622-7271.
What Is Social Media Withdrawal?
Like other compulsive behaviors, social media use can become addictive. When you stop this addictive behavior, it can cause addicts to experience withdrawal.
Social media withdrawal occurs when social media addicts abstain from using social media platforms and begin to face mental, emotional, or habitual struggles because of it. Even quitting social media for a week can lead to severe withdrawal symptoms. This has occurred for many Americans; our law firm believes this needs to be stopped. We’re working to improve how companies develop apps and fighting to ensure this harm against younger generations is stopped before the number of suicides increases among children.
If your child is addicted to social media or if you have any questions, get in touch with our Texas social media addiction attorneys for a free consultation. We can explain the reasons behind the addictions and ways to help your loved ones.
Social Media Withdrawal Symptoms
People going through a social media withdrawal might experience symptoms including:
- Significant mood swings
- Anxiety or restlessness
- Compulsive urges to check notifications
- Difficulty concentrating
- Insomnia or other sleep disorders
- Feelings of loneliness or emptiness
- Depression or low motivation
- Physical health problems
- Fear of missing out (FOMO) sensations
- Increase in boredom or inability to enjoy offline activities
- The strong compulsion to use social media
Signs of Social Media Withdrawal in Young People vs Older People
A study published in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction showed that in a group of 18 to 30-year-olds, the younger users who primarily used their mobile devices for social media actually showed lower levels of stress when their mobile device was taken away.
In this same study, the older participants showed increased stress levels when their mobile device was removed. The study also found that older users who use their mobile devices for things other than social media had lower stress levels when their mobile device was taken.
These differences between younger and older users might be due to the way they use social media. It states that older users are more prone to stressful lives and use social media to escape. In contrast, younger users are on social media seeking excitement.
Overall, while the study did find differences in the withdrawal symptoms depending on their ages, there is still a lot of research left to be done.
How Long Does Social Media Withdrawal Last?
After withdrawing from social media, you might begin to see improvements within the first week or two. If your withdrawal symptoms continue after several weeks or months, you may need to seek professional help.
What Causes Social Media Addiction Withdrawal Symptoms?
Social media can become an addiction because these apps trigger the human brain to release dopamine, the brain chemical that relates to reward and motivation. When you use social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, or Twitter, the brain experiences increased dopamine levels.
As we continue using social media and experience that dopamine release, we begin to associate that feeling with social media. Whenever we’re not using social media, our brain craves that dopamine high, which makes us constantly reach for our mobile devices.
Social media usage has a similar effect on the user’s brain to the effects of recreational drug use. It is suggested in research out of Michigan State that repeated exposure to snaps, likes, posts, and shares affects users’ brain chemistry in a way that is similar to the use of cocaine.
Dopamine and Social Media
Social media withdrawal happens when a person addicted to social media stops using it. Since social media triggers the brain to release dopamine, abstaining from it causes reduced dopamine levels, leading to withdrawal.
What Are the Consequences of Social Media Addiction?
When you have an addiction to social media sites, you can experience adverse symptoms other than withdrawal. Social media addicts suffer both personal and psychological consequences that include:
- Neglecting real-life relationships
- Hiding excessive social media use from others
- Fear of missing out (FOMO)
- ADHD symptoms
- Escapism thought patterns
It’s important to seek help if you believe you have a social media addiction. A digital detox can help with excessive patterns of social media use, as the overuse of social media can lead to additional mental health issues.
Most Addictive Social Media Platforms
Use of specific social media platforms has been proven to lead to addiction due to design and engagement features. The Journal of Behavioral Addictions reported that social media platforms utilizing infinite scroll, variable ratio reinforcement schedules, and specific algorithms for social media delivery create the strongest addiction patterns. Whistleblowers have also reported that neuroscientists and behavioral psychology experts were hired to maximize the way people, particularly younger people, engage. Developers knowingly exploited the same brain pathways as gambling and substance abuse.
TikTok Withdrawal
TikTok withdrawal symptoms manifest as one of the most severe cases of social media addiction, with younger people claiming to experience withdrawal symptoms affecting both their physical and mental well-being when they try to limit overuse. The algorithms used in this social media app are among the most sophisticated to develop. This brings an unprecedented level of personalization that makes stopping particularly difficult. Children and adults alike report feeling depressed, irritable, and unable to concentrate. The University of Minnesota found that TikTok’s general session length exceeds all other social media platforms. Many people experienced “time blindness,” where hours pass unnoticed. The platform’s “For You Page” creates what internet addiction specialists call an “intermittent variable reward schedule. ” This is the most addictive type of behavior reinforcement. Social media addiction typically peaks within 24-72 hours of cessation and can include sleep disorders, oversleeping, constant phone checking, and severe FOMO.
Contact a Texas TikTok lawsuit attorney to learn more.
Instagram Withdrawal Symptoms
Instagram withdrawal presents unique challenges due to its multi-faceted social media addiction mechanisms, combining image-based social comparison, story FOMO, and validation through likes and comments. Meta’s own internal research, revealed through whistleblower Frances Haugen, showed the company knew the social media app was toxic for teenage girls, with 32% of teen girls saying Instagram made them feel worse about their bodies. Young people experiencing withdrawal report feeling anxious about missing updates, compulsive urges to document experiences for posting, and feeling depressed from the lack of validation previously received through likes. Physical signs include phantom vibrations (feeling phone notifications that don’t exist), disrupted sleep from blue light exposure habits and other sleep disorders, and tension headaches from the sudden cessation of constant visual stimulation.
Contact a Texas Instagram lawsuit attorney to learn more.
Snapchat Addiction
Snapchat’s “Snapstreak” feature represents one of the most psychologically manipulative elements in social media. Adolescents report panic attacks when losing streaks maintained for months or years, with some arranging “streak-sitters” during vacations or hospitalizations. Another feature of the social media platform, “Snap Map,” adds location-based FOMO, allowing younger people to see friends gathering without them in real life. The primary demographic of the social media app, teens and younger people, experience adverse symptoms more severely due to peer pressure and social currency tied to streak maintenance.
Contact a Texas Snapchat lawsuit attorney to learn more.
Facebook Withdrawal Symptoms
Despite declining usage among younger people, Facebook withdrawal remains significant due to the platform’s deep integration into daily life and its role as a primary news source. Older adults who have used Facebook long-term have suffered information anxiety, social isolation from interest groups and communities, and loss of identity tied to carefully curated profiles. Studies from Cornell University found Facebook’s “emotional contagion” experiments deliberately manipulated emotions, creating dependencies on the dopamine stimulation the platform provides.
To learn more, consult a Texas Facebook lawsuit attorney.
YouTube Addiction Withdrawal
YouTube addiction differs from other platforms due to its long-form content creating extended dissociative states where YouTubers lose hours to “recommendation rabbit holes,’ developed to prevent user departure. Google’s own data shows the average mobile YouTube session exceeds 40 minutes, with the platform’s algorithms becoming increasingly accurate at predicting content that will keep specific people engaged, creating personalized addiction patterns unique to each user.
Twitter Withdrawal
Twitter withdrawal centers on its role as a real-time information source and its unique culture of rapid-fire discourse and viral content. The platform’s “doomscrolling” phenomenon, compulsively consuming negative news, creates cortisol-related social media addiction patterns where people become physiologically dependent on stress hormones triggered by outrage and conflict. The platform’s character limitations and thread structure create cognitive changes where users struggle to engage with long-form content or nuanced discussion after prolonged use. Studies indicate Twitter’s real-time nature and controversy-driving algorithm create some of the highest anxiety levels among social media platforms.
How to Deal With Social Media Withdrawal
The urge to constantly be on a social media app can harm us mentally, socially, and emotionally. Instead of being with others face-to-face, anyone experiencing withdrawal from social media might dedicate their free time to engaging with others in the digital world. When you quit social media, you could experience the fear of missing out (FOMO) or thinking about what others are doing on social media. This distraction can affect your job and your ability to have normal in-person relationships.
Like all habits, this one can be broken as well. Below are a couple of tips on dealing with withdrawal.
- Avoid using your mobile devices before bed: This withdrawal can act as an invisible force that makes you feel compelled to search social media. When it’s time for bed, place your device somewhere you won’t be tempted to reach for it and stick to it.
- Uninstall apps or turn off notifications: While deleting your online accounts may be impossible, we can reduce our dependence on them. We remove the urge to check social media every time our phone goes off by removing apps or notifications. In fact, a recent study showed that 70% of people check their phones within five minutes of receiving a notification.
When to Stop Using Social Media Sites
Becoming aware of social media and its addictive qualities can help you take the proper steps toward avoiding addiction. Below are some ways to prevent becoming addicted to social media.
- Create time limits for social media use: Try to limit your use of social media daily. Only allow yourself thirty minutes or an hour of social media use. Try to lower your time limits if you use them more than that. There are tracking methods to monitor your social media use, like apps or setting a simple timer.
- Don’t use social media when you’re emotional: Visiting a social media website when you feel anxious, sad, or angry can worsen the addiction. Instead, try to do an activity that will make you feel better, such as talking to a friend or going for a walk.
- Be aware of what triggers you to use social media: Certain things, like boredom, procrastination, or loneliness, can trigger your urge to check social media apps. When you become aware of your triggers, you can be better prepared to avoid them.
- Find other activities instead of checking social media: When you sense the urge to use social media, try taking a walk or reading a book. If you want to check up on what your friends or family members are doing, call them.
- Don’t compare yourself to others: Looking at other people’s lives on social media can make it easy to compare yourself to them. It’s important to remember that people only post the best parts of their lives on their social media accounts. So comparing yourself to what you see online isn’t a fair comparison.
- Set boundaries: In addition to setting time limits on your social media usage, you could limit what you see. Maybe unfollow anyone who posts triggering or harmful content.
If you’re still struggling with social media use, it might be time to take a social media dopamine detox.
Do You Have a Social Media Addiction Claim?
There are already pending lawsuits against the companies behind popular social networking sites. These companies are Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Snap (Snapchat), ByteDance (TikTok), and Google (YouTube), which involve issues surrounding social media addiction and adolescents. If you or a loved one has been addicted to social media and suffered psychological or physical harm, you could be entitled to financial compensation. Some examples of harm related to social media usage are suicide/self-harm, anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.
When you file a lawsuit against these large social media companies, you show that it’s not ok for them to continue encouraging such addictive and dangerous behaviors. The Reich & Binstock personal injury lawyer team will fight the social media companies on your and your family’s behalf.
Contact Our Texas Social Media Withdrawal Lawyers for a Free Consultation
After years of using social media, we have better understood how it can negatively affect a person’s mental and physical health. It’s time for social media companies to be held liable for the damages they have caused. If social media has harmed you or a loved one, you deserve compensation, like any other product liability or personal injury case. To discuss your case with our Houston personal injury law firm, call us today at 713-622-7271.
