Do you think social media is addictive? Not just as a distraction, but deliberately engineered to keep people hooked? If so, who should be held responsible for that design?
At the same time, as political tensions spill into workplaces, neighborhoods and local economies, have you thought about whether businesses should speak up — or stay quiet — when public policy begins to affect real people and real markets?
Recent events sit right at the intersection of those debates. From a landmark lawsuit testing whether platforms can be held liable for addictive design, to companies cautiously breaking silence amid rising political unrest, the throughline is accountability — and where it begins when technology, business and society collide.
An upcoming trial puts social media on the stand
One of the most consequential legal tests facing social platforms is now underway — and it centers less on content and more on design. A California case involving a young woman identified as K.G.M. is the first to go to trial among thousands of consolidated lawsuits alleging that major social media companies intentionally built addictive products for children.
The case is being closely watched as an indicator of social media’s future. While the broader litigation includes claims against multiple platforms, Snap and TikTok have both settled with the plaintiff ahead of trial. That leaves YouTube — which is owned by Google — and Meta to face a jury, with opening arguments expected imminently.
At the core of the lawsuit is the claim that platforms deliberately engineered features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, algorithmic recommendations and engagement feedback loops to maximize time spent, particularly among minors. The plaintiff argues these choices led to compulsive use and serious mental health harms, including anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicidal ideation — harms the companies allegedly understood but failed to meaningfully mitigate.
The defense has pushed back on several fronts. Platforms dispute the existence of a legally recognized concept of “social media addiction,” challenge whether causation can be established, and argue that protections under the First Amendment and Section 230 shield them from liability. Their position is that the issue lies with user-generated content, not product design — a distinction the court is now being asked to scrutinize.
That distinction may determine the case’s broader impact. The judge has already ruled that the claims can proceed on a product-design theory, allowing jurors to consider internal documents and expert testimony that suggest companies prioritized engagement over child safety. Recently unsealed materials, particularly from Meta, have intensified scrutiny by showing executives and researchers discussing teen retention as a strategic priority, despite internal warnings.
Even if the remaining defendants ultimately prevail, lawmakers and regulators are already moving ahead of the courts, with dozens of states passing new child safety laws and other countries experimenting with age-based restrictions. The legal environment around youth, platforms and accountability is tightening regardless of this verdict.
What this means for real estate professionals
This case is about whether engagement-driven design can be treated as a product decision with legal consequences. As scrutiny shifts from content to mechanics, platforms may face pressure to change how reach, recommendation and visibility work — changes that could ripple through organic distribution, paid media and how audiences are built across social channels.
TikTok’s ownership shift sends users testing alternatives
The early days of TikTok’s new U.S. ownership have introduced enough friction to nudge some users toward alternatives. Algorithm resets, upload issues and an expanded privacy policy have coincided with short-term spikes in downloads for smaller platforms, including UpScrolled, which saw a brief surge following the ownership change.
These moments tend to produce exploration rather than lasting migration. When platforms wobble, users test new spaces, but habit, scale and discovery still anchor most behavior over time. For now, TikTok’s challenges appear to be creating hesitation, not collapse, though uncertainty is prompting some marketers to pause and reassess.
What this means for real estate professionals
Platform instability is a reminder to stay diversified. TikTok still commands attention, but moments like this underscore the risk of over-reliance on any single algorithm when ownership and incentives are shifting.
Threads’ growth hits a tipping point as ads go global
Meta is moving Threads into its next phase. Ads are now rolling out globally, formally positioning Threads as a full participant in Meta’s monetization stack rather than a side experiment.
The timing isn’t accidental. New data from Similarweb suggests Threads has edged past X in daily mobile usage, with roughly 141.5 million daily active users on iOS and Android compared to X’s estimated 125 million. X still dominates on the web, but on mobile — where habitual, in-feed consumption happens — Threads is increasingly where users are showing up.
This shift appears to be the result of steady, structural changes rather than short-term reactions. Threads has benefited from aggressive cross-promotion across Instagram and Facebook, a creator-first roadmap and a consistent rollout of features designed to support regular use. Over time, those choices have nudged Threads from curiosity to routine.
Meta is reinforcing that trajectory operationally. Threads accounts can now be managed directly inside Meta Business Suite, with access, permissions, cross-posting and ad delivery tied to a matching Instagram account. Ads are treated as a default extension of existing Meta campaigns, not a standalone buy. The message is subtle but clear: Threads isn’t optional infrastructure anymore.
What this means for real estate professionals
Threads is settling into a familiar pattern. As daily use increases and ads become standard, the platform is less about experimentation and more about presence. For agents already investing time or dollars into Instagram, Threads is becoming part of the same system — and another reminder that Meta’s power lies in how tightly its platforms now move together.
After Minnesota ICE shooting, corporate silence begins to break
After weeks of staying quiet, U.S. business leaders are beginning to publicly respond to aggressive immigration enforcement in Minnesota following a fatal shooting in Minneapolis. More than 60 Minnesota-based CEOs, including leaders at Target, 3M and General Mills, signed a statement calling for de-escalation, signaling a shift in corporate risk tolerance. Even Beyond Meat took to Threads for a softer statement.
The statements stop short of criticizing the Trump administration or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement directly, but they acknowledge mounting community harm and economic disruption. Lawmakers say executives had privately warned that enforcement actions were hurting sales and workforce stability but were reluctant to speak publicly until now. Behind the scenes, companies are coordinating through the Business Roundtable to press for reduced tensions.
The contrast with small businesses has been notable. Many local operators moved faster, publicly opposing ICE activity as protests grew and public sentiment shifted. That gap highlights how proximity to customers, employees and neighborhoods often forces earlier action than boardroom politics allow.
What this means for real estate professionals
Political risk is becoming increasingly local. Enforcement actions, protests and corporate responses can influence housing demand, labor availability and investor confidence at the city level. For agents and brokers, these moments often first appear as buyer hesitation, leasing slowdowns or employer relocation decisions — well before they register in market data.
TL;DR (Too Long, Didn’t Read)
- A lawsuit is testing whether platforms can be held liable for addictive product design, with TikTok and Snap settling and Meta and YouTube heading to trial.
- TikTok turbulence: Early friction under new U.S. ownership has prompted some users to test alternatives, but signs point to hesitation and experimentation, not a mass exit.
- Meta is rolling out ads globally on Threads as mobile usage climbs, signaling the platform’s shift from experiment to core infrastructure.
- After a fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis, major companies are cautiously speaking out, highlighting how political risk is increasingly shaping local economies and business decisions.
Courts are beginning to test where product design ends and responsibility begins. Companies are weighing the cost of silence against the cost of speaking, while users, consumers and communities are responding in ways that ripple beyond any one platform or headline.
For professionals navigating these systems, it’s less about choosing sides and more about recognizing the shift. Accountability is no longer abstract. It’s showing up in courtrooms, boardrooms and neighborhoods at the same time, reshaping how platforms operate and how businesses engage with the public realities around them.
Each week on Trending, digital marketer Jessi Healey dives into what’s buzzing in social media and why it matters for real estate professionals. From viral trends to platform changes, she’ll break it all down so you know what’s worth your time — and what’s not.
Jessi Healey is a freelance writer and social media manager specializing in real estate. Find her on Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, or Bluesky.
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