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The Daily

A Strategy to Treat Big Tech Like Big Tobacco

Nov 15, 2023
Natasha Singer, a Technology reporter for The New York Times, dives into the historic lawsuits against Meta, accusing the social media giant of exploiting children. She discusses the compelling evidence behind these claims, including whistleblower insights and internal documents revealing the addictive features designed for platforms like Instagram. The conversation highlights the urgent mental health risks for youth and the ethical implications of prioritizing profit over well-being. Singer also illuminates the complexities of legal accountability in the tech industry.
33:36

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Quick takeaways

  • The lawsuits accuse Meta of intentionally designing addictive features that harm children, leading to negative mental health effects.
  • Meta denies the accusations and argues that they have implemented measures to prevent underage users and provide value to people's lives.

Deep dives

Allegations against Meta

The lawsuits filed by numerous states accuse Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, of intentionally designing addictive features that harm children. The states argue that features like endless scrolling, notifications, and social pressure are designed to keep young users hooked on these platforms, leading to negative mental health effects such as increased depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. The lawsuits also claim that Meta knew about these harms and deliberately concealed them from the public, while rejecting internally proposed solutions to mitigate the negative effects. Additionally, the states accuse Meta of allowing users under the age of 13 to create accounts, violating federal regulations.

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