27/03/2026
A US jury has just found Meta and YouTube liable in a landmark social media addiction case, awarding $6 million to a young woman after deciding the platforms’ design contributed to her harm and failed to warn users properly.
The wider issue that this flags is not really “kids and phones”. It is addictive digital behaviour, which as most managers will know, does not stop when an employee goes to work.
Ofcom says UK adults now spend an average of 4 hours 30 minutes online every day on personal devices. For 18–24s, it rises to 6 hours 20 minutes.
BUPA found that 34% of employees had used or witnessed addictive behaviours during work hours, 48% said they had turned to addictive behaviours to cope with workplace stress, and 71% of employers were concerned about addiction-related issues at work.
The academic evidence is catching up too: a 2024 systematic review found problematic social media use was linked with poorer employee outcomes and wellbeing.
So the real question for employers is not whether this exists. It is whether your managers would spot it, know how to handle it sympathetically, and know whether your HR policies are remotely up to date.
If you are concerned this may already be affecting your workplace, read the full blog, then get in touch for manager training that turns concern into practical action.
Read our blog here: https://www.ozone-3.co.uk/post/social-media-addiction-at-work-why-uk-managers-need-to-take-it-seriously
A US court case may have grabbed the headlines recently, but the issue affecting businesses is much closer to home. Problematic social media use is not just a teenage safeguarding concern as the US court found. It can affect concentration, judgement, safety, wellbeing and performance at work too. Th...
