Hard Fork Jonathan Haidt Strikes Again + What You Vibecoded + An Update on the Forkiverse
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Jan 16, 2026 
In this discussion, Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist and author known for his work on youth mental health and social media, shares alarming insights about how digital platforms are harming teens. He highlights the harms of bullying and sextortion, while advocating for stricter policies and accountability for tech companies. The conversation also touches on the emergence of Claude Code, where listeners showcase innovative projects, and PJ Vogt discusses the challenges of building and moderating a community in the new Forkiverse.
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Evidence For Causation Has Strengthened
- Multiple independent lines of evidence now point to social media causing harm to teens, not just correlating with it.
- Jonathan Haidt argues randomized experiments, internal Meta data, and reports from kids and teachers make causality compelling.
Harm Is Multi‑Modal And Environmental
- Harm comes from many mechanisms: sexual harassment, bullying, violence exposure, sextortion and algorithmic hooks.
- Haidt emphasizes the environment's cumulative dangers rather than a single mechanism like social comparison.
Separate History From Immediate Product Safety
- Separate the historical population question from product safety; you can act on product safety now even if population causation is hard to prove.
- Haidt says seven lines of evidence show current products hurt kids and warrant regulation.
