Can't Look Away: The Case Against Social Media is a 2025 documentary film which follows the work of the Social Media Victims Law Center, a group of lawyers assisting the parents of children who died due to interactions with harmful activities on the internet. It was directed by Matthew O'Neill and Perri Peltz.
Themes
A film review in The Guardian describes how social media companies, including Snapchat, repeatedly serve United States teenagers content covering sextortion, suicide scenarios, unwanted sexual advances, and illicit drug networks.
This content is not accidental but rather the result of algorithms that determine the material that teenagers might wish to see based on their search and viewing histories. Moreover, the algorithms are designed to maximize engagement and differ from those applied to adult users, so that parents remain largely unaware of the type of subject matter being promoted to their children. O'Neill explains:
Reception
Accolades Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) ResultCinema for Peace Awards 16 February 2026 Cinema for Peace Dove for The Most Valuable Documentary of the Year Can't Look Away: The Case Against Social Media Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award 28 January 2026 Silver Baton Bloomberg News and DCTV 2026 duPont-Columbia Award Honorees Announced Tonight
References
External links
Official trailer