
What A Day The Great Social Media Reckoning
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Mar 26, 2026 Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist and author of The Anxious Generation, joins to discuss the rising backlash against tech. He talks about recent jury verdicts holding platforms accountable, how public opinion has shifted about youth harms, and possible policy fixes like age limits and design changes. The conversation focuses on liability, addiction framing, and what stricter rules could mean for social media users.
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Courts Hold Platforms Accountable For Addictive Design
- Juries found Meta and YouTube liable for a young user's mental-health harms tied to platform design.
- The cases hinged on addictive design features and internal memos showing companies knew their products were addictive to kids.
Public Opinion Shifts Toward Child Age Limits
- Public opinion is shifting: 57% of adults support banning social media for under-16s per Edison Research at SSRS.
- Jonathan Haidt says this marks a reversal of burden of proof from critics needing to prove harm to platforms needing to show safety.
Consensus Emerges After Visible Harm To Kids
- The 'emperor's new clothes' moment describes broad societal recognition of harm after long debate.
- Haidt says visible parental experience flipped consensus, making regulation and liability politically possible.




