Why federal addiction programs keep underperforming
America just put an extraordinary price tag on a form of addiction that does not come in a bottle, pill, or syringe.
TL;DR
- Meta agreed to a multistate settlement of up to $17.1 billion over claims that Instagram and Facebook features encouraged compulsive use among children.
- The settlement includes behavioral safeguards such as daily time limits and restrictions on notifications for minors.
- The author argues that America's addiction policy should focus on the vulnerability of the person seeking reward, not solely on the object of addiction.
- Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) suggests that different addictive behaviors can stem from underlying vulnerabilities in the brain's reward system.
- Current federal policy is fragmented, separating treatments for different substances and behavioral addictions, which does not align with how the brain functions.
- A proposed reward-centered approach would broaden policy goals beyond abstinence to include restoring an individual's ability to live without seeking unhealthy rewards, integrating various forms of care.