The New Yorker Radio Hour Social Media Goes to Court
26 snips
Mar 13, 2026 
Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist and author of The Anxious Generation, explains why he views social media as addictive and harmful to young people. He discusses lawsuits aiming to hold platforms liable, persuasive-design tricks that hook users, and Australia’s age-verification law. He also touches on phone-free schools, policy momentum in the U.S., and broader effects on attention and democracy.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Section 230 Blocks Lawsuits Against Platforms
- Section 230 immunity has prevented parents from holding Meta or TikTok legally accountable for harms to children despite clear cases of severe outcomes.
- Jonathan Haidt describes sextortion, eating-disorder links, and no company ever facing a jury for child harms.
Scale Of Reported Harms Is Large Enough To Matter
- Internal company data and user reports show large-scale harms: Snap reported roughly 10,000 sextortion reports per month in 2022 and surveys show 20–30% of girls report harm to mental health.
- Haidt uses these figures to argue harms could plausibly explain post-2012 rises in youth mental illness.
Platforms Use Behavioral Design To Hook Users
- Social-media companies intentionally built engagement-maximizing features using behavioral design, including intermittent rewards copied from slot machines.
- Haidt cites Persuasive Design courses at Stanford and engineers recommending intermittent rewards to keep users returning.
