Snap has settled a lawsuit filed by two teenagers who alleged its platform was designed to be addictive and contributed to their depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. The case was set to be Snap's first trial in a wider wave of litigation over social media's effects on young users, with CEO Evan Spiegel expected to testify. The same plaintiffs had already settled similar claims against Meta, TikTok, and YouTube.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-11-02
Court filings in an ongoing lawsuit against Meta have surfaced internal documents, after a judge ruled they were not protected by attorney-client privilege despite the company routing related correspondence through lawyers. The documents reportedly reveal internal plans and research touching on how Meta's products affect young users, adding to litigation alleging the company's products harm minors.
cailinoconnor.substack.com
· 2026-10-28
Court filings in litigation over Meta's teen safety claims reveal internal 'Well-being Meeting' notes from March 2023 describing a 'Whisper strategy' aimed at turning other academics against social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, a vocal critic linking social media to teen mental health problems. The notes, dated around a Substack post by Haidt, appear informal and typo-ridden, and it remains unclear whether Meta ever acted on the ideas discussed.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-28
Scientists are developing precision psychiatry, an approach that splits broad psychiatric diagnoses into finer subgroups and uses data such as genetics, biometrics and socioeconomic factors to match patients with specific treatments and doses. The goal is to cut down on the current trial-and-error process of prescribing mental-health medications. Some researchers are actively testing these data-driven models, while others caution that clear evidence of benefit is still lacking.
nature.com
· 2026-10-28
A growing movement in psychiatry aims to replace broad, symptom-based diagnoses with data-driven subgroups that combine genetics, brain scans, speech and sleep patterns, and environmental factors like pollution or socio-economic status. Researchers are developing algorithms that compare a patient's data with thousands of others to recommend treatments more likely to work for them. Those shaping the DSM, psychiatry's main diagnostic manual, are reportedly exploring how to incorporate such environmental and social variables into future editions.
nature.com
· 2026-10-28
A Nature editorial, drawing on two accompanying news features, highlights emerging efforts to personalize mental-health treatment and develop psychedelic therapies as potential responses to a global mental-health crisis affecting over a billion people. The editorial notes the FDA has recently clarified evidence standards expected in psychedelic drug trials ahead of possible regulatory approval.
nature.com
· 2026-10-28
Several pharmaceutical companies are continuing to invest in psychedelic compounds as potential treatments for mental-health conditions, even after some clinical trials have produced disappointing results. Separately, researchers are expanding longevity science beyond humans, testing repurposed drugs and new gene therapies to extend lifespan and treat age-related conditions in pets such as dogs and cats.
nature.com
· 2026-10-27
The Trevor Project previewed longitudinal research set for release this fall showing 53% of surveyed LGBTQ+ youth use AI platforms at least occasionally. Nearly half reported using AI for friendship or companionship, and 40% have used it for mental health support, while 29% said AI pointed them to crisis or hotline information.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-23
A Gallup poll finds that fewer than half of Gen Z adults now describe themselves as 'thriving,' a 20-point drop since 2010, with the sharpest decline occurring after 2019. In contrast, baby boomers' self-reported wellbeing has moved in the opposite direction, trending upward over the same period.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-23
Researchers examined fossilized skull fragments, teeth and jaws to pinpoint facial features characteristic of Denisovans, including a low sloping forehead, a massive brow ridge, rectangular eye sockets, flat cheeks and a moderately raised nose bridge. The study also highlighted a flattened, elongated skull shape as a hallmark of the species, published in Nature.
nature.com
· 2026-10-22
Researchers analyzed nearly 30,000 MRI scans from almost 12,000 adolescents tracked over six years to chart how the brain's outer layer, the cerebral cortex, thins as sensory regions mature before areas tied to complex thought. The preprint, posted on bioRxiv on October 11 ahead of peer review, found that the pace of this maturation sequence could forecast mental-health symptoms up to four years before they appeared.
nature.com
· 2026-10-21
A large review of existing research found that people with ADHD face a significantly elevated risk of death from any cause compared with those without the condition. The same analysis found that treatment for ADHD was associated with a lower mortality risk among those diagnosed.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-10-20
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