Jonathan Haidt: Has Social Media Destroyed a Generation?

On Thursday, February 17, Jonathan Haidt and Robby Soave had an Oxford-style debate on the role of government regarding social media before a capacity crowd at the Sheen Center in downtown Manhattan. It was hosted by the Soho Forum, a monthly debate series sponsored by Reason. Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein served as moderator.
Haidt, professor of ethical leadership at New York University and co-founder of Heterodox Academy, defended the debate resolution, "The federal government should increase its efforts to reduce the harms caused by social media."
Haidt, author of a recent article in The Atlantic on social media's harm to mental health, pointed out that while the platforms were not initially designed for people under 18, those individuals have arguably been its victims. Haidt likened the platforms to sugar-best taken in moderation.
#Haidt #SocialMedia
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[@Zwierley]

I’m 23 and have been off of social media (FB, Insta, Twitter) for the past 2 years. My life has never been better. Social media is absolutely a public health emergency in my opinion.

[@anonymousplayer8174]

Just switch to playing online games instead

[@missylks1239]

Yet, here you are on KZbin: a social media site!

[@eitannatanzon9048]

Same here. Quit FB, Insta, Online Dating..never felt better.

[@rampageclover9788]

DO NOT go back

[@ryanharvey9800]

Staying off fb twitter and insta is easy but I know I’m addicted to KZbin it’s the only one hard to not use cause I watch informational videos on here

[@Ravensdrum]

I am a middle aged creative arts teacher for teens, and I can say that in the last 10 years I have seen these kids’ ability to imagine and think outside the box diminish rapidly. They have a really hard time imagining something they haven’t already seen on social media. It’s disturbing.

[@kitty123yw]

I used to actively be part of the social glue for our neighborhood association. It has become more of a challenge in the last 10 years, because social isolation is the norm. The social skills needed for a civil society have declined.

[@One-Ring-To-Rule-Them-All]

That is really sad 😔

[@ebythebeach]

The kids are not ok

[@Jcon4002]

Nowadays you have Chat GPT to write your essays and AI programs to create art

[@llIlIlllII]

@@kitty123yw More people than you'd think simply don't value social ties anymore. They have their spouse/dating life and family. Maybe one or two high school friends, but they don't meet up more than once a month or so. Those who do want friendship are sort of screwed. On the one hand, people are entitled; they'd rather someone else approach them than do the hard work. On the other hand, most people are a lot more flakey and wishywashy. They'll cancel plans at the last minute and smile to your face about how you should both get together sometime, but both parties know it'll never happen... people prefer 'niceness' (smiling and keeping each other at arms length) to vulnerability and risking dissenting opinions, since they know there's a good chance of being cut out of someone's life for believing different things. I'm finding that people overshare a lot more now about their personal business, and they make witchcraft, tattoos, edibles, and that oversharing their entire personality. It's really unsettling and unpleasant to be around.

[@jkadoodle]

I grew up in the 90's. I can't imagine going back to high school and having everyone in class on their phones posting photos and sending tweets about everything all day long. What a nightmare

[@DougJacobson2]

our parents/grandparents used to say , ' you have it so good compared to our day'..and it was tiring. I tell the younger generation that 'we had to so much better compared to what exists today'... am very glad I am not in high school in the age of social media. This stuff is toxic.

[@ianjohnson458]

Same and 100% agree.

[@ryans1623]

@@ianjohnson458 80s 90s and earl 2000s were awesome times to grow up, i feel so sorry for kids nowadays.

[@JimmySaul888]

Fucking nightmare. I might have gone goth.

[@juniorjames7076]

I'm in my 40s. After traveling and working overseas with NGOs, my goal was to retire working for a university or small college somewhere rural or urban, in administration. Now that I have returned the USA since the pandemic and seen the state of our society and what's going on on our campuses, a "university" is the LAST place I would ever want to work!!! No thank you!!! Back to NGOs abroad, or a government job inside a stuffy cubicle.

[@bbatz4642]

Yup, 100% social media has made people empty and void of empathy.

[@AbrahamPalmer-wj5cb]

Sad but true

[@entropiated9020]

Really happy to see the effects of social media is being realized. Humans are not made to exist in such large social groups; until recently we existed in relatively small local settings. For all of human history it has been like this, and then all of a sudden the entire world is open to every single person. No wonder we're all messed up in the head.

[@miniscusapogee9129]

I feel this. Although, I can't say my own local group has served me in the best direction. There's a existential problem living in a small hierarchy, only knowing that you fit in the categories of a few select 'monastery' people. Usually, somewhat smarter, more attractive and financial than you. Understanding that, there's a gateway to limitless information that either delivers you into the worst echo-chamber ever or a life worth living. It's a two sided coin, but knowing it's only two sides-where's the rest, you know?

[@kenim]

All of our biology is opposite to what Social Media brings. But the problem is so big and wide. All of our senses and insctincts are constantly on overdrive in the modern world. We are soon to crumble

[@justinzaharko7735]

Amen!

[@vladimirofsvalbard9477]

I don't think it's the exposure to people, but rather the echo chambers and incentives for social media to trend irritating things.

[@ramonmoodley2462]

I think humanity as whole is too focused on understanding things rather than physically doing things. There is way too much focus on second hand information (social media falls into that category), and not enough focus on reality.

[@sharonpalmer3329]

Literally kept my daughter homeschooled for middle school to avoid this. She’s 13 and still so much a kid. She’s more excited to learn about Newton’s laws of motion than any influencer…she still doesn’t even know what an influencer is. Thank god.

[@JoeSmith-tb9nc]

An influencer is someone who thinks people give a shit about them.

[@gastronomist]

But Newton's Laws of Motion are a gateway drug to Newtonian Physics.

[@SerErryk]

@@JoeSmith-tb9nc They are often narcissists.

[@acethemain7776]

@@gastronomist gravity is a helluva drug

[@Phangmaster]

Very smart, my daughter starts homeschooling on Monday, but it's way too late, the damage has already been done as she's 17 now. Such a shame, well done for protecting your daughter!

[@2012jordie]

I turned 30 this year. I've been glued to a PC almost every day since before I was 10. I needed it to cope with abuse in the home and at school, but lately, I've felt digital devices have ruined and are ruining my life and worked to distance myself from them. I recently started reading books and writing notes by hand again. If I use KZbin, I watch academic videos instead of "influencers". Already, I remember more and feel smarter, which is very encouraging when trauma sufferers often have poor memory. Re-reading the chapter in the 1st Harry Potter book where Harry finds the Mirror of Erised almost brought me to tears because that's what the PC was for me. A shiny magic box that distracted me with illusions, preventing me from meeting real people and having real experiences. I was almost 30 before I realised I had no friends and nothing to my name, and all the time I should've spent studying or gaining work experience had gone down the drain that was the PC. I've spent the last 10, 15 years in an electronic jail and now have to cope with the reality I'm expected to go back to school, get a job, and start working up in society if I want a better life than the one I have had. I'm trying to do better now, but I shouldn't have had to suffer like that. I still struggle with anger & depression over the time I've lost. Get the Gen Z kids off their phones before the same thing happens to them.

[@sofs994]

same here. I'm becoming 29 this year and i fell i have screwed many aspects of my youth. can relate. Anger, depression, anxiety... all that crap. I have no friends. They are hooked to socials as well. people have become the weirdest ever. it is a sad sad story.

[@One-Ring-To-Rule-Them-All]

You already realised it and that is the most important! You can still learn and do anything you like, because now you are free to do so! I wish you a lot of strength!

[@chaosdream21]

This is all anyone can do, is wake up and try to free their own minds at this point.

[@callummonro4497]

Jheez this hits deep

[@boiledelephant]

This is literally like I wrote it, in every detail. I'm sorry but also I'm glad it's not just me. If I could go back in time I'd deprive my childhood self all computers and consoles until about the age of 19.

[@davidschmidt6013]

I'm a recently retired teacher. Ask any teacher with years of experience, and they'll tell you: kids' minds are being destroyed by social media, and ESPECIALLY by phones. It's insidious, and extremely difficult to counteract. I find it no surprise that the rise of the 'snowflake syndrome' occurred at the same time as the rise in cell-phone popularity grew. Kids' attention spans are shorter than EVER, down in single-digit seconds, computational skills are down, reading skills are at an all time low, language comprehension is down...kids, with the world's most extensive information access system EVER have lost the desire to research. They type in a question and if the answer is not on the first page of suggestions, they often won't even change a letter in their query to seek different answers. They look once, can't find it, give up. Pathetic.

[@alsantoshsantana8803]

So sad, but 100% true

[@johnstrozzi1126]

Born in 89 I remember times when I was so bored as a kid, like out of my mind boredom, but I don't really get that anymore probably because I can always access the internet

[@royalandonyx]

It's worse then that. I'm a new teacher. They'll type a question into Google, which will pull up a paragraph for them with the approximate answer highlighted. Even if the actual, more succinct answer is in the very next sentence, they'll give up. As if they weren't having the answer spoon-fed to them in the first place. What the hell did we do to this generation?

[@thecustodian1023]

@@T_Fizzle

[@rileyhaley3848]

I think it's the teachers fault most teachers I know were just there to collect a paycheck and after reading this I feel it's even more true it's easy to blame technology because you gave up on life.

[@dylanbuchanan6511]

“Has social media destroyed a generation?” -Yes. Source: Me, that generation

[@theboombody]

TV was harmful, video games were worse, cell phones and social media even worse. I'm from the video game generation. I still love TV, but it's definitely not good in anything more than small amounts. Really the only argument in its favor would be, "I know TV isn't productive, but how productive do we really need to be?" They may have a point. The more productive we get, the stupider the things we seem to produce with our time.

[@dylanbuchanan6511]

@@theboombody Wow. I totally agree with this. Social media and vain, unneeded technology has definitely spoiled a generation. The only thing i really think you could make an argument for being beneficial is the internet for the amount of information available but that could easily be replaced by a good set of books. Plus, most people use the internet as a tool of entertainment/bias confirmation rather than discovering new ideas or data. So yeah, communication technology sucks.

[@theboombody]

@@dylanbuchanan6511 I think it may be the 80/20 rule rearing its ugly head again. Things are fruitful 20% of the time and wasteful 80% of the time. The internet is no exception.

[@ishmaelforester9825]

Mainly, people age and get old. A generation is already bored shirtless of social media. It had its day, positive and negative.

[@vincentzhaiven4017]

@@ishmaelforester9825 nah it has nothing to do with that , most kids that fall into gen z really can't handle real life stuff at least the ones that I come across in the work place. Social media and the internet , all of it has to do with it. People in general are just out of touch Nowadays and need a reality check.

[@danielrichards3521]

social media and covid lockdowns have done in some cases irreversible damage to the young generation

[@southafricanizationofsociety20]

Progressivism: “Covered my butt with a plan-Demic.” 🤫

[@H47Ronin]

EVERY generation has been irreversibly damaged

[@dancroitoru364]

@@H47Ronin ...by the previous generation -)

[@ljclark2177]

@One Culture Love Culture Not quite sure how that's relevant to this video unless you're part of the generation he's talking about?

[@hermitthefrog8951]

All according to plan.

[@Krzysztof_Kasprowiak]

It gives me chills when I see teenagers together and each one of them glued to a smartphone. I hope that people in the future will look back to our times and compare it to the early 1900 when heroin was publicly available. It's simply mindblowing that access to technology is still unregulated.

[@sofs994]

omg.... that is so true and enlightening

[@seanleith5312]

Again, the diagnose is wrong. It's not social media. It would happen with or without social media. It is your colleagues, the crazy professors, who brought all the evil to the society. They generate loads of loads of garbage to everywhere: every companies, every government offices and every institutions.

[@UnchainedEruption]

There's nothing wrong with smartphones. Idiots blame the tool. Blame the user. Mobile phones, and their more evolved younger siblings, are unimaginably useful devices and it never ceases to amaze me how such an incredibly useful device exists. Social media and smartphones are not the same thing, so don't conflate the two. If people can't handle the power, that is user error. Self-control (or lack thereof) isn't the device's problem.

[@scribe9841]

Teens? I see every adult and senior doing the same thing, not just the teens

[@somefilmakerperson]

Social media is probably the worst thing for your mental health

[@powdergangster83]

This guy hit the nail on the head with this discussion. The fact that this video has only been viewed 122k times at this point is sad. This should be shared on social media over and over again

[@geneharrogate6911]

It should. Phd in psychology / BA in philosophy etc vs 'influencer'. See the difference?

[@Uberwenis]

Finally, I've been saying this kind of thing for the last several years. It's kind of a no-brainer when you give humans a feedback loop for social interactions when you can respond any way you like without being face to face. It's honestly pretty crazy to me that more actual real-world harm has come from Twitter than from 4chan.

[@nunofernandes4501]

I'm a teacher since 1998 and I can confirm that since the mid 2010s kids' motivation and behaviour has been going downhill.

[@jamesduckworth9040]

Same

[@Angel268201]

Finally! When Twitter came out, I told everyone I knew that it was a social disaster.

[@goat4298]

It's why I don't have a Twitter account.

[@gastronomist]

I was sure twitter was going to fail. It seemed so stupid to try to say anything meaningful in 140 characters.

[@emilyfields5510]

Why include the word bitches? All respect for your intellect. Gone.

[@alex_g_44]

Yes, I tweeted the same :-)

[@andesarcher7559]

Yippee!

[@Kyrieru]

At age 30 I made a facebook account for the first time in order to get back in touch with friends I went to school with at age 20. Everybody had become either extremely political, or extremely depressed. It was like the 10 unique people I had known had became the same person.

[@lr6477]

Hive mind. Wow you're right

[@tzone962]

If you’re an adult who doesn’t vote you never grew up.

[@vlogcity1111]

@@tzone962 voting is for people who have no control over their lives hoping someone will create structure for them

[@vlogcity1111]

That’s legend dude. I quit Facebook at 21 I’m 27 almost 28 and almost want to take a look what happened to other people. But at the same time the reason I quit is because I could tell it was making everyone unsatisfied with life, even the people so called “making it”

[@David-el9ty]

I left fb because of the political fighting. I have so many friends addicted to it. FB is also one of the main reasons the pandemic got so out of control.

[@jbfletche]

I think the most damage occurred when social media became mobile. We used to check Facebook at the end of the day...now Facebook and countless other platforms are screaming at us for attention, from our own pockets.

[@Dooblecaine]

I think you're on to something there. When smartphones made the internet a tethered experience it became a problem. Plus coupled with the camera on the smartphone it became a way for people to relay their lifestyle to a global audience. And people just invented fake lifestyles. That's the point of instagram, for example. Now it is becoming where many businesses expect you to carry a smartphone on you. So the device is becoming baked into every life and thus it will be difficult to move away from it and social media. We're painting ourselves into a corner.

[@sofs994]

true. i felt like i had an healthy relationship with socials before smartphones...

[@Skoopyghost]

I considered getting a Nokia phone and mp3 player at this point because smart phones are addicting.

[@gregorysagegreene]

Jobs, though I admired him, didn't stick around to see what he had done.

[@dtklamf7457]

it has ruined more than a generation. Even people in their 50's & 60's are hopelessly addicted to it. I have dealt with hardcore heroin addicts who were moire reliable & than social media addicts. Imagine of people walked around constantly with a drink or a needle in their hand? Unlike drug/alcohol abuse social media use/abuse isn't only glorified it's encouraged.

[@sofs994]

great point of view

[@CrazyAlienLady051]

Sadly, majority of those 50 and 60 year old are too invested in politics online more than anything. And this is how Facebook died. The younger audience left for Twitter and Tumblr while the older generations stayed. Imho, I can sympathize with younger audiences not wanting to be on Facebook anymore. Kind of hard to post things and interact if you’re 60 year old nana is posting Ultra MAGA or anti-Trump garbage. Twitter, it’s only a matter of time now that right winged conservatives and liberals found the website. Now everything you see on both websites is related to politics.

[@numvrcgreenvilleent1892]

my generation created social media but never relied on it so much as the younger generations. That disconnect is where the problem lies. We kept reality at the forefront and used social media as a backdrop. look at concerts, We didn't pull cameras out at a show but to capture a moment from the event. we wanted to experience it 1st then share it later. NOW this generation feels it never happened if they don't share it 1st then experience the reactions and replies from it. The act doesn't matter to them if people don't validate that it does matter. as an 80's baby i feel so lucky to grow up the way i did. Extremely horrified by what these young people have to deal with. Remember parents would ask "if your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it"? Today?: yes, if it gets them more likes and follows.

[@Jackiesdaughter84]

I agree. I went to a concert last week and the energy in the arena was way off because almost everyone had their phones out recording instead of singing etc.

[@abnormalbrainworks4076]

I’m 26 and spent my life online. I am not “anti-social media” but I can see the harm it has done to my mental and emotional health, the amount of happiness I feel as I move through adulthood, my generation, and those younger than me.

[@manfrombritain6816]

@@iangpark those are rookie numbers i'm millenial (31) and spent like 16 hours a day on my PC lol. i'm a coder sooo

[@proudatheist2042]

That's intensely sad.

[@proudatheist2042]

@@iangpark how do you think spending five hours a day online for the last 11 years made you a better person?

[@BM-fz9yc]

I did too. I’m 27. But let me tell you. Beginning of 2020 I got rid of everything. No social media. Limited KZbin time. I started hobbies, started reading more. Stop reading about petty internet drama. I can assure you, the negatives far outweigh the positives for social media. I am significantly happier now that I don’t use it.

[@deductivereasoning4257]

The bad economy is what plagues your generation. To think it's something most people don't use regularly is foolish. It is always a simple variable and the poor economy that was looted by the boomers and older are why younger generations will abandon most of everything...

[@SerErryk]

What bothers me is that adults exploit their children on social media for their own ego. I wouldn't want my parents' friends all knowing I reacted negatively to me first dentist appointment for example. I've noticed the general lack of boundaries in my generation and respect for people's privacy.

[@iceman00behave]

You brought up an interesting idea that I never thought about...a big reason why people so willingly gave up their privacy, was for the ego boost that comes with likes and shares

[@AR-dj3yw]

Nowadays the kids literal first moment on Earth is shared on FB from the delivery room! Insanity.

[@proudatheist2042]

Yes, you are right. The Generation Z kids will have to face something that their ancestors didn't. Their prospective employers and school admission counselors can type in their names and see and read about the tantrums they had as toddlers or the obnoxious things they did as teenagers. There have always been narcissists, but social media amplifies that and makes it known.

[@alsantoshsantana8803]

Good point, so often overlooked. And boundaries are getting squashed in every area of life.

[@elizabethcochran3395]

Maybe with the speaker's suggestion about an age restriction for internet access, we should inhibit posting images/videos of minors on social media. I'm not sure how as I know many grandparents like to see their grandkids in pictures from their daughter's page, but I think it is worth considering. The free speech libertarian side of my brain also doesn't want to tell people what to do by rules, but it seems a bit careless to post pictures and stories of minors online without some barrier.

[@justinb1382]

I knew social media was a cancer when a girl I met in college made me a Facebook page. I deleted it after about a year. Got Instagram, saw how it was the same thing then deleted it less than a year later. I’ve been free of any social media (unless you count KZbin) for a little more than a decade and it’s great. You don’t need it. If you’re doing it to stay in touch with family then pick up the phone and call or text instead. No excuses.

[@stevec9095]

Same here. KZbin just for info on my interests. Sometimes entertainment.

[@kellycushing2904]

It's terrifying when I hear people say without Facebook they would not be able to keep in touch with family around the country. Really? Your family doesn't have a phone, email address, or physical address to send a letter to? It's truly ridiculous.

[@sofs994]

great point. but nowadays, you have to inform someone FIRST before you call them, otherwise it is considered harrassment loloooool

[@Freethinkingtheist77]

I'm father to two wonderful kids aged 3 and 1 and my heart breaks to think of the pressures they will have to face that I never did. Social media destroys Innocence and puts into children's hands something they aren't ready for. Like Frankenstein's monster, we are now at the mercy of our own creation. It makes me so angry that big tech businesses have done so much to destroy our world.

[@Chris-dt5td]

I grew up in a society infected by Marxist ideology. My father was very careful what I was taught in school and corrected the errors. Every time he had the chance, if we watched a film or found the right moment t, presented me a different angle of thisngs, and the partial truth in the news. What I found the most relevant for me is that he raised my awareness towards the importance of beauty. When you're surrounded with corruption, deceit, delinquency, your heart survives by noticing the beauty, and that keeps your spirit alive and healthy. Where beauty exists, resentment and revenge has no room.

[@willisingo]

Without even watching this, I think about what it's done to my mental state and I am in my 50's. I think about the person I am face to face, in real connections with human beings and the person I am online. The internet/social media is not a safe place for passive aggressive introverts. I cant imagine what it does to children who's synapses are being formed online, frightening.

[@JeffCaplan313]

They're all gonna turn out like me. Everyone should be VERY concerned about this. 😔

[@yuhboris304]

I’m 22, social media really affected my social development in high school ( I didn’t have a phone or social media until the 9th grade). Social media algorithms, video games, and content creators have only gotten more stimulating and addictive over the past few years, i can’t imagine what it’s doing to young children now. I would love to be a child in a pre social media/pre 9/11 world

[@tparbs]

I feel for your generation. My son is 23. I am 63 and grew up in the 60s and 70s. It really was a great time to grow up in. I turned 22 in 1982.

[@tRav285]

I've come to believe more and more that the Amish have got it right. At a certain point technology isn't making your life better. We have to be able to willingly give up conveniences that our ruining our spiritual lives.

[@gregorysagegreene]

As a utility it was transformative. As a connective network it's been a cataclysm.

[@hcentman]

As someone born in the late '90s, I feel as somewhat in-between, growing up partially without social media. Talking to people even two years younger than me, it feels there is a HUGE CHANGE. Less ability to connect, or talk about sensitive topics, and it's super weird. Throw away the smart phone, and I'll bet these problems would mostly go away.

[@urboturbo1249]

I agree. I'm 23yo now and sometimes it is very hard to connect with others, espescially with younger people. I'm not into social media trends, many of them seem so childish and unnecessary to me. However, the hardest part is their lack of ability to talk and think, everyone is so sensitive and egocentric. Mental health issues have been normalized to the point where everyone seems to have one. If they don't have depression, anxiety, ED or something like that, they have an ADHD/ADD. Nothing wrong with having some of these issues mentioned, but we're not talking enough about the consequences of social media and smartphones in general.

[@hcentman]

@@urboturbo1249 Yeah that is so true, also nothing wrong with making older/more mature friends

[@urboturbo1249]

@@hcentman Yes, that is true and usually it's easier to connect with older people.

[@j-me6317]

@@urboturbo1249 I don’t know who this ED guy is, but apparently a lot of people don’t like him.

[@urboturbo1249]

@@j-me6317 Sorry, I'm not very good at English as it isn't my first language. ED = eating disorder

[@DogDocLou]

As a millennial (born in ‘91) I’ve been saying for the last 10 years I will not expose my future children to the atrocious amount of screen time or unregulated social media (10 year olds with smart phones?!) that I’ve seen in children a decade younger than me.

[@yeetdeets]

Screen time is fine, just not social media. Use parental control features to block installing them and block access in the browser. Kids who don't learn to use technology are at least as crippled as those addicted to it.

[@anizzutz1107]

@@yeetdeets Kids don't "need" screen time. Its useful for them to learn how to use it when they're a little older, but a young child absolutely does not need screen time. I know kids who have essentially zero screen time, and they're much more functional in the real world than their smart phone using peers. Its not just about social media, either. Give a kid a real puzzle and give another kid a puzzle to do on a smart phone. The kid using the real world puzzle will end up much better off.

[@yeetdeets]

@@anizzutz1107 I didn't say they needed it, just that they will be crippled by being behind the curve on technology. Again, if you think games are too much, use parental control. You are probably right on that point too. Some games are great for learning actual skills. Eve Online or World of Warcraft for math, economy and finances. Europa Universalis for geopolitics, geography and history. But those are PC games. I don't know any good mobile games where you actually learn anything at all. But there is more utility to phones than games, puzzles and social media. Browser access is huge. If you are curious about something you can google it and read. Anything which encourages reading is obviously good. "Give a kid a real puzzle and give another kid a puzzle to do on a smart phone. The kid using the real world puzzle will end up much better off." Sounds super scientific, which paper are you citing? If it's the same puzzle I doubt there is a difference. But it's generally not the same puzzles.

[@jenli142]

@@yeetdeets learning technology is not that hard. And btw, social media also includes KZbin. So I don’t know how you can give a child screen time without KZbin. Good luck with that.

[@yeetdeets]

@@jenli142 There is learning technology like connecting bluetooth headphones to your phone and there is learning technology like programming a website. Constant exposure to the web will make picking up the latter way easier. Because you have a feel for how a good website is laid out, and you probably tried fixing successively harder problems you encountered as a consumer. I also don't think KZbin is included in the cluster of problematic social media encounters Haidt referred to in the opening statement here. It's the pressure on *producing* media, and the scrutiny that brings, which causes mental health problems. The vast majority of people are only consuming, not producing, media on KZbin. The societal problems he mentioned are probably in part caused by KZbin too. As in the "deliberative democratic process". KZbin does engage in censorship of some views and does create filter bubbles -but in this comment thread I think we have been mainly focused of the mental health aspects on an individual level. Either way, you for sure can block KZbin with parental filters as well. I haven't tried it, but it seems very, very unlikely to not be possible.

[@ek737]

I've been off social media for a few years now and life has been grand!

[@ms.rainh20teachesart]

Amen to that!

[@amb4368]

He says on social media

[@markletts8802]

YT? Social media..🤔

[@amb4368]

@@markletts8802 how is it not

[@justvibin1087]

I'm only 21 and I can barely connect with people even 2 years younger than me. It genuinely blows my mind how addicted people are to Social media when i never cared for it much at all.

[@jupiterrising887]

Social media is extremely toxic, I've known this for a while instinctively.

[@VoidDweller86]

The Only Breeds of Social Media That I Watch Are Just Social Medias Like KZbin. Social Media By Itself Is Not Evil, It Is Toxic Individuals Who Make Social Media To Be Evil. Me Personally I Would Much Rather Watch KZbin Than To Be Primarily Brainwashed By Brainwashing Television. I am 35 years old by the way, Black American male.

[@yuli1970]

I'm 20 years old and my generation was the first young one to get exposed to social media. I remember being a kid and my friends talking about how many likes they had on their Facebook posts and them being so mesmerized by the whole concept. Me on the other hand, I never really found it that interesting. To this day, I'm still a social media outcast, rarely opening Facebook and even more rarely Instagram. I've never had a Twitter account and don't find the urge to make one. I've found a way to live outside these socials medias and still have social contacts and friends. When looking at the younger generation (post 2003) I don't think the majority of them can survive without Instagram and TikTok which I find kind of sad.

[@Simon-hh7bq]

Yea social media has ruined my generation, i knew this as a teen. I dont know who thought social media was okay. When i was 14, i saw it completely changing the people i know. Now im 22, and yea the effects are disastrous. This is coming from a kid that was suffering from depression at a young age.

[@Hughesburner]

So thankful to be gen X, I still get to slowly slip into technology but at the same time grew up without it, so I know how dangerous social media has become. I quit Facebook in 2013, haven't logged back in, I am still alive. It's just crazy to see a room full of gen z kids all on their phones, not even looking at each other and slightly interacting. The effect of this is seen when you try to interact with them in person and they really haven't developed clear in person social skills. Taking criticism and the lack of a thick skin so to speak, is another side effect.

[@gregorysagegreene]

I've had several young guys serve me at Subway, that got all upset when I wanted to guide them on how to make my sandwich, like it was some kind of existential mental abuse event. 🤷‍♂️

[@joesmith8398]

Exactly ! Lack of social skills and lacking ability to accept even constructive criticism or engage in debate without them feeling "attacked."

[@bgoodfella7413]

Whenever I walk outdoors in the street or the park literally everyone I see has their head buried in their phone. It's pretty sad.

[@wink3319]

Jonathan Haidt's work is very important. He really hits the nail.

[@firefly44220]

It’s also making society mentally ill. I’m not joking or being facetious. People are acting crazy in a way I’ve never seen in 43 years on this earth

[@lukeyznaga7627]

Grew up in the 60s and 70s. I miss those days of the 80s. The modern culture has destroyed almost all entertainment, TV and even the comic books culture and sci fi culture. It has corrupted politics and corrupted journalism. I miss the old Meet The Press with Tim Russert. I miss the old cartoons. I miss talking with others about books I have read and doing things outdoors. Most of my friends have family now or have moved away. Its lonely, man. I ADMIT IT, that nowadays, I really need social media to find new friends....? : (

[@sofs994]

you are not the only one, do not worry. we are all trapped.

[@Mr.BigNate]

Each generation has been struggling with Social Media. Wars are now waged through social media, disinformation is at its peak, and the effects on psychology, especially during formative years, has far reaching consequences.

[@grahamstrouse1165]

The massacre of the Rohingya in Myanmar was enabled largely by fucking Facebook.

[@blakelawless6620]

Happy to hear this being discussed. I'd be interested in hearing about potential second-hand effects of social media. I last posted to social media in the Summer of 2016, it was a decision I made at the time because I didn't really like seeing all the unproductive and often hateful ways people were interacting with each other and discussing positions. Pretty much all of my friends and family have gone in the polar opposite direction, doubling down on social media, pretty much all of them have been sucked into TikTok during the pandemic, one of my friends runs multiple social media clout accounts. When I quit social media, it was just because I didn't like what I was seeing, and had no desire to participate, I wasn't having feelings of depression. Now, after almost six years of being off social media, those feelings of depression and disconnection are creeping in, and I strongly feel it's because of my reduced ability to interact and relate to my friends and family who have, after years of being inundated with social media been pushed toward these insane far left/far right positions that they have become creepily militant about that I find incredibly hard to relate with, leaving me feeling isolated from the people I care about, who may or may not even care about me anymore because some are angry with me for not jumping on their political bandwagons.

[@andybunn5780]

You’re not alone

[@bradleyhancock91]

Dude, we might be the same person.

[@Wheres-my-toes-bro]

A lot of people are under the effects of propaganda without realising.

[@Dartht33bagger]

This is the biggest struggle no one talks about. You can choose to distance yourself from social media. But the reality is that practically everyone around you is still going to be immersed in it. You won't be aware of the latest Tik Tok trend or Snapchat story. You'll find yourself left out of conversations. It sucks. I still prefer being off social media, but I wish those around me also realized that social media is a net negative.

[@ericwitt4359]

Same here. It is just in the past few years that I have lost most of my friends who I have had for decades, and as if by chance, all of them apparently did social media which I don't do. Even those who weren't pushed to extremes, they seemed to value individual friendship much less.

[@yf3633]

as a 20 y/o, i agree. solution? go out and touch grass.

[@lizicadumitru9683]

Remind your children that AT MINIMUM snippets on Tik-Tok, insta or whatever the hell else are literally the small snippets of someone's life. They also have mundane and regular shit they do OR they could be lying...

[@yf3633]

@One Culture Love Culture live on

[@derekjancart215]

Nice reference. 👌

[@Masqueesha]

I miss MySpace. That was the only social media that I actually felt was positive and enhanced my experience of life.

[@ThatOneScienceGuy]

He is right, a massive shift happened suddenly in the 2010's. I was born in 1987 and that shift was very palpable to me and we need to make some changes because everything is going to hell now.

[@CleverGirlAAH]

88' here. Yeah I managed social media management for a cartoon show-- It's far worse than you can imagine. These addicts are completely underdeveloped in every aspect of life. But boy do they know every current meme.

[@anthonyc5039]

Born in 87 also…don’t forget social media has systematically ruined dating and relationships as well. It’s so annoying meeting women and having them ask for my Snapchat. Like if you want to see my face come see me in person. They take selfies and pictures like emotionless robots, without even taking a second to look with their own eyes.

[@ericwitt4359]

Born in 66. I started noticing a huge change in 2014/2015 and it was quite worrisome.

[@ThatOneScienceGuy]

@@ericwitt4359 Yeah considering your age and perspective it was probably more noticeable.

[@ericwitt4359]

@@ThatOneScienceGuy It's funny cause when I was living in the late 2000s, I really liked that period. I thought the mentality had improved compared to before. But afterwards it went really downhill.

[@simonplussier]

I'm a self aware gen z. Luckily I was born in 02 so I still remeber a world before smart phones and social media. I remember the rise of social media. I remember not long ago people were normal and all of a sudden things seamlessly changed. Right under our noses

[@wbaumschlager]

Even the terms "Gen X", "Gen Y", "Gen Z". There was no such thing in the old days. They are trying to segment us along every possible dimension as hard as they can.

[@vectoralphaAI]

Yes. The answer is 100% yes. Current and new generations are and will continue to be mentally handicapped because of it.

[@VoidDweller86]

Social Medias Like KZbin For Instance Are Not Bad, It's The Toxic Use of Social Media That Makes Social Media Evil. Certain Individuals Should Just Not Be Users of Social Media At All, I Primarily Watch KZbin Just To Keep Myself Informed At All Times, Me, Personally I Would Much Rather Watch KZbin Than To Primarily Be Brainwashed By Brainwashing Television. I am 35 years old by the, Black American male.

[@taylagreen5005]

"Mostly twitter, facebook and instagram too"... wait until they figure out how bad tiktok is.

[@latetotheparty184]

I worked at a youth psychiatric locked inpatient ward years ago, and us line staff would shake our heads when we saw how self harming behavior would get picked up by new admissions. A rebellious troubled kid would get admitted to the ward and they would connect with the more troubled patients and get worse. They liked the attention they would get when they started hurting themselves and things wold go from bad to worse. Sounds similar to social media effects today.

[@the_expidition427]

It's exponentializing

[@TheRealValus]

"We're caught in a trap, we need central leadership to break it." After explaining how inept Congress is at regulating. Here's a thought, be a leader yourself and start by parenting your kid and saying "NO, I don't care if all the other kids are jumping off bridges. Tell them your dad's a fascist." Problem solved.

[@jupiterrising887]

That's my only option, as an expecting first-time father. My wife is 8 months pregnant with a little girl. My only option is to shield her from this garbage and prepare her for the day she has to strike out into a much worse world than the one I grew up in.

[@matthewh6311]

“Tell them ‘your dad’s a facist’”. Funniest thing I’ve read today. Fight Gen Z’s fire with fire. Excellent.

[@DonovanAenslaed]

It certainly has destroyed the dating scene and dating dynamics of a whole generation...

[@carlososcarcomedy]

I deleted all my social media going on 2yrs now and I can’t ever see using it again.

[@malicant123]

It's more than a generation, I know people in their 60s who have been driven mad by this daemonic monstrosity.

[@davidb9976]

It’s criminal what it’s done

[@hopeyouhaveagoodday3900]

why you using the Internet to comment?

[@ladderallthinking8790]

Jonathan Haidt is one of our great thinkers. Always a pleasure to listen to him speak.

[@cattysplat]

I remember when Social Media became big before smart phones let people do it everywhere. Computer rooms/libraries at schools and universities that were only ever used by handful of nerds and socially awkward suddenly were flooded with normies checking and scrolling their social media timeline. The change was jaw dropping but it was clear these normal people had no built in defence with internet communication, they went 0-100 into the deep end unlike us nerds who knew not to take it seriously. I would arrive even early in the morning and the room will still be nearly full of these addicts. The irony is this is still mostly the same today, nerds avoid social media but normies are hopelessly addicted.

[@ChipChip101]

I don't love the dichotomy you're setting up between 'nerds' and 'normies' but I can't deny what you're saying rings very true in my experience. I feel like being a computer dwelling teenager gave me a different relationship with and perspective on social media. Learning to ignore trolls on forums and how to moderate my intake of the darker shit on the internet when working exclusively from a desktop allowed me to keep that distance between 'irl' and 'interwebs shit', but with the ready access to social media via smart phones, people don't have that defense mechanism or separation.

[@nemesisurvivorleon]

I love this perapecrive lol

[@beeman4266]

@@ChipChip101 He's definitely right but I think the dichotomy between nerds and normies is more so just people who had an interest in computers and technology even if it wasn't easily accessible vs people who couldn't care less unless something is setup for them and made easy. The people I know who were into computers way before social media are definitely not the people addicted to social media nowadays. It was the people into sports and everything that was very "anti nerd" that seem to live a terminally online life now.

[@thepope2412]

@@ChipChip101 normies = normal people and nerds = autism. That simple

[@xave9447]

I noticed a huge difference when I got rid of social media in highschool. Such a great talk

[@agentcarbunkle]

Social media gave bullies a loaded gun

[@tiffanyd.8660]

"It's difficult to free fools from the chains they revere"- Voltaire

[@gaz5663]

Social media brings out the absolute worse in people

[@AbrahamPalmer-wj5cb]

Sad but true

[@evolutionthroughawareness2288]

This also reveals the inhumanity of the people behind these products and services. They know they are causing harm to children and adults but they continue regardless. To put it up to personal choice and responsibility but when it comes to ‘misinformation’, they remove individual choice and responsibility.

[@T_Fizzle]

It's pure evil. These people like software engineers studied psychology, they know exactly what they're doing and they will never take responsibility. You only have to look in Zuckerberg's dead fish eyes to see what I'm talking about.

[@scottmcloughlin4371]

Harming kids is the overt goal. Do you remember the drug addict "rock stars." That was to fuel narcotics sales. Americans don't get it. USA companies are scalp collectors. USA government and corporate execs are not "heroes." Not even a little.

[@M0viLover]

Uh - did you see "Thank You for Smoking?" What about: cigarettes; alcohol; McDs and the level of sodium; Coke / Pepsi and the level of sugar; etc.

[@podoyle]

Thank you, thank you. More of this please.

[@daviddundrea3424]

Yes the internet has pretty much destroyed relationships. Between social media and online dating it’s a real mess out there sadly. Of course identity politics has also played a big role in the destruction of society as well. Our media is tearing us apart.

[@derekhanson1688]

It's sadly amazing that one can grow up in a world that tells you to take care of your career and be happy with yourself before pursuing the other goals, then community and actual relationships don't exist once you get to that point.

[@tzone962]

@@derekhanson1688 well said

[@fred6907]

And where does the indentity politics ideology come from? Modern feminism.

[@tzone962]

@@fred6907 all feminism is toxic to the natural family structure and destroys the future of healthy society.

[@michaelmcguire382]

When the Arab spring took off in 2011, there was a lot of talk about the impact social media had on it. It wouldn't have been possible without twitter and facebook, plainly put. This was seen as a good thing back then. Why did we never consider that to be an extremely dangerous warning, especially considering how disastrously the Arab spring turned out?

[@hassanbirbir6363]

not only just arabe bro the whole world turned out

[@scottmcloughlin4371]

FB and Twitter are paid by USA government to foment political violence overseas. They do that on purpose. Poland outlawed foreign ownership of Polish media. FB and Twitter are military contractors. It's not "entertainment." FB and Twitter are asocial media. It's ASOCIAL. It's just mislabeled. Our "Defense" Department is the mislabeled War Department. Americans say everything backwards. Coke does not "add life." Sugar water causes cancers.

[@hermitthefrog8951]

The Arab Spring was a George Soros project, just like Ukraine in 2014.

[@hmadwarable]

LOL

[@grahamstrouse1165]

Excellent observation!

[@FunnyFruFru]

It seems clear to me, that the harm which social media causes is when it is used as a replacement for actual socializing and in-person engagement. I rarely ever go onto Facebook and feel like I’m more connected to all my friends on there. I believe that younger generations have had social media woven into their upbringing and this has created all these problems because they don’t understand the distinction between real-life, and social media based interactions.

[@reddeader9749]

Gave up mobile phones and social media 3 years ago society THINKS i'm odd, i KNOW that i'v never been happier though.

[@Temboz]

I don't have anything on social media myself other than a Facebook and the only reason I have it was to track down old friends and talk to family members on messenger as am far away from them.....otherwise I don't post anything on it and was ridiculed here in US for not having Twitter,Instagram, snapchat,tik tok and all other trash social media sites...which have completely destroyed how people relate to each other.

[@johnhatchel9681]

I've been thinking along these lines for awhile now.

[@nickmeyer238]

Graduated high school 2012. Uni 2012-2014 (2 years) dropped out because my parents house caught fire. No insurance. Dropped out. Worked on house. Long story. But best thing to ever happen to me. I literally left right before the world went left and crazy. So thankful.

[@ronaldmcdonald3965]

When we developed and deployed the First Generation Internet, we never thought about social media. We were working on stuff like getting enough I/O bandwidth, and make it resilient so it does not crap out. Social Media is really not tech, it is well, Publishing

[@cattysplat]

Technology can have terrible consequences. Much like the ability to refine food was seen as a great leap forward in providing cheap plentiful carbohydrates for a starving world, now we have a world of obesity from eating refined empty carbs and oils. Solving the problems of the past can have massive unintended consequences for the future without proper controls.

[@ronaldmcdonald3965]

@@cattysplat They were also trying to improve shelf life, given that much food is lost due to spoilage in transport. Now we eat things that are terrible for us. But the way we explain it, well it is hard for a lot of people to understand. And we are emotional (no data and logic). "I will eat fast food because it tastes good" is an emotional response.

[@philg7889]

At last! The world waking up to how poisonous social media really is. I constantly shake my head as I walk down the street watching people stare into their phones like zombies. In my head I'm saying, on repeat, '...put the *bleep* thing down, PLEASE!'

[@MmntechCa]

I was already in my 20s when social media started to really take off in the late 2000s. I didn't grow up with it, and it was pretty easy for me to leave when it got too toxic. Sometimes I wonder if I'm just being an old fart in my critiques of it. I vividly remember the moral panic over violent video games, and how that turned out to be a fat load of nothing. So I think you have to look at things with a skeptical eye. But given the self-admitted nature of the companies running these services, it's hard to deny they aren't exploiting people's insecurities for profit. But so do a lot of corporations. I think there's a lot more to the mental illness epidemic than spending too much time on Facebook, but it certainly seems to be a contributing factor. And you can't deny that cancel culture driven by social media is certainly a thing. I've never seen more visceral hate than on Twitter. I don't know what the solution is here though.

[@Bjorn_R]

Agreed. One solution could be changing the algorithms. I see so many people getting caught in echo chambers and they end up thinking everyone thinks that way, which just reinforces their beliefs, when the algorithm keeps feeding them stuff they agree with. I have actively started trying to avoid getting into these chambers by looking at content I straight up disagree with.

[@theboombody]

I wouldn't say the video games turned out to be nothing. I believe they hurt my attention span for quite some time and really kept me from developing a career until age 25 or so.

[@vincentzhaiven4017]

@@theboombody that may be just you though , some people can handle things easier than others and are more resilient.

[@derekshirley5543]

I will tell you the solution. Spend many hours reading the Bible. And pray in the name of Christ.

[@seanshankredemption1603]

@@theboombody if you enjoy playing video games, there’s nothing wrong with that. Life isn’t all about work & career. 25 isn’t late either so I think you’re just fine. Keep gaming

[@katherinekelly6432]

Just as children mirror adults, emotionally immature and underdeveloped people will mirror (mimic) those they admire. Social media exacerbates and intensifies the deleterious effects that other forms of media already inflicted. The outcomes are very similar to the outcomes of lifelong drug and alcohol abuse. The person remains completely stunted emotionally and intellectually and this intensifies the natural narcissism that is common in the teens and twenties turning into a pathology of narcissism which is common on social media and increasingly in society. Social media risks making people delusional.

[@the_expidition427]

This is a private sector leadership matter

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

YES. 100% YES. Nearly every person I've met over the past 10-15 years have been CHAINED to social media. They are *bound* by it, and have based their entire lives around popularity, image (and a FALSE IMAGE at that), and 'algorithms'. Now, there is almost no way to make distinctions between 'the real version' of a human and their 'social media image'... without MEETING THEM IN PERSON. You literally can't tell what they've actually done vs. what they PURPORT to have done with their lives. Good luck, humanity. Yer gonna need it. 🙄 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨

[@PalaciosSommer]

At times it seems that it has affected negatively all generations. Now everyone is an expert on any topic and no one seems to want a friendly exchange in person. Maybe I'm getting old, but I miss the days when one could disagree with a friend and still remain friends.

[@AuburnBod]

The best thing I did during COVID was I got off social media and I really think that is was the best thing it have ever done for my 10 yr old girl. She has outright rejected TicTok and made fun of her Dad for downloading it. Which sounds mean but proved that she truly did want anything to do with it.

[@filippians413]

Mental illness is more than common. I believe it to be the norm. Technology raised the standard of living but lowered quality of life. Two very different metrics

[@billhamilton2366]

Absolutely. Computers and calculators in school classroom have taught children they no longer have to THINK.

[@bobthebuilderhecanbuildit]

nah it takes a lot to use a calculator or computer properly. Arithmetic is such a minor part of math, and I’ve spent the last 10 years coding and man theres still so much to learn

[@ValoPlay724]

Totally agree. Also Shovels have taught children they no longer have to DIG. /s

[@theboombody]

@@bobthebuilderhecanbuildit My major was in math, and at some point you don't mess with arithmetic anymore. You do nothing but proofs and arithmetic helps very little there because everything is made up of variables.

[@UnchainedEruption]

@@theboombody Yeah most advanced math at the collegiate level is all in terms of variables. But, I think the point is that for younger children, if they develop an over-dependence on technology rather than doing the relatively harder job of working through the thought process manually, it deprives them of that ability to figure things out.

[@Jpeg-yz4xj]

I was 14 when Facebook got really popular and always avoided social media at all costs...and I gotta say I felt and still feel really alienated from the people I grew up with

[@fred6907]

Same, and I'm even older than you. It's like living on an alien planet, where I don't belong at all. Everyone is glued to their phone!

[@zenon3021]

then make a facebook account and add the people you miss. Social media isn't all bad. It's a tool which can be good or bad depending how you use it.

[@royfr8136]

We don't have society anymore, we have social media.

[@U.s-epa]

It's not even a question anymore, social media and the internet are ruining society not just a generation.

[@nerdly44]

We as a culture need to be listening to people like Johnathan Haidt and Jordan Peterson a lot more closely.

[@skiz8848]

no

[@theethanatorem]

@@skiz8848 yeah i second that and raise you a fuck no

[@DanLetts97]

Jordan Peterson? Are you kidding? The guy was just hospitalized for a drug addiction and depression or something like that. I’ve never understood the attraction to the man

[@fred6907]

@@DanLetts97 His depression runs in the family, kinda hard to battle against genetics. He's back on track these days, he even criticized the medical field for putting him on highly addictive drugs in the first place. Can I ask why you are not a fan of the man? Except the recent mental issues obviously.

[@WarmasAsunnedcat]

It’s scary I hate what it has done to young people. My niece is nearly 33 years old she never goes out she spends all her time on social media, she acts like she is 15 not 7years off 40. I am determined my children will not be the same.

[@ancientlights]

Thank you for posting videos like this one.

[@MZ99698]

Totally agree with everything he said, I’m not on any social media platform and weening myself off KZbin is my next goal. FU KZbin!

[@thefamily2707]

Yes and yes! A quick scroll through these platforms and you can see the deterioration of this generation and their ideology.

[@craxd1]

There was a reason that age limitations (M rating) were placed on certain video games as well. It is greater than Instagram, as they have access to websites pushing both the hard left and right ideologies that are authored by those who are very adept in sales and marketing to a young generation.

[@dylanbuchanan6511]

@One Culture Love Culture That’s the kind of life that is most natural and beneficial to mankind. In all honesty an agrarian, rural life is far too natural not to wish for.

[@thecustodian1023]

What are "hard Right" ideologies? So far EVERY description of "Hard Right " anything is just the same tired far left actions being projected at a microscopic or totally made up minority of people that do not represent anyone in the rational majority. As of the last few weeks I am now seeing active openly sane left types such as Russel Brand, Jimmy Doore and Bill Marr plus thers like them now being called 'Far-Right" extremists too just for their pointing out the blatant hypocrisy and utter lack of self-awareness of the current far left.

[@dylanbuchanan6511]

@@thecustodian1023 that is funny to me as well. Far-right has become an over used slur in recent years that has now lost meaning. I mean, there ARE far right ideaologies (nazism, laissez-faire capitalism etc.) but if you think both Jimmy doors and Sargon are both basically in the same camp because they’ll criticize the left you’re moronic. In social justice circles libertarian ideology (a political viewpoint I don’t entirely agree with) is basically treated as white supremacy for reasons beyond comprehension

[@RacerX23rm]

@@dylanbuchanan6511 Nazism is left though.

[@dylanbuchanan6511]

@@RacerX23rm No, it’s right

[@tretaylor1230]

Not fearing an All Mighty God is the down fall of every generation

[@24tommyst]

This is why I want to quit the IT field. I got into it in the early 2000s thinking it would help humanity, but overall, it's been damaging, I think. It didn't turn out as I expected/wanted....

[@Ryan-pz4dh]

He’s got a good point, there should be an age limit to using social media. But why does nobody address the elephant in the room? Social media profits from user data. What Congress should do is make it illegal to profit from user data and force social media platforms to make their money through paid user subscriptions just like magazines or streaming services (minus the data collection).

[@Buglin_Burger7878]

So now they get money from Subs and illegally selling our data? You're getting your data sold one way or the other as any fine when caught would be pennies compared to the profits. Oh yes, and if you link your Twitter to your KZbin you'll get special badges which let everyone know how great you are for paying this subscription model meaning there is no selling of data or profit from it.

[@Ryan-pz4dh]

Who says selling data illegally would result in fines? My thinking as that if any social media company gets caught selling data illegally then the company owners and board members should get jail time, the company should be shutdown and all assets get confiscated. No more fines and small penalties, peoples personal data being mishandled is a serious offense and should be treated as such.

[@UnchainedEruption]

How would you enforce an age limit? I'm pretty sure most online services mandate users be at least 13 and get parental permission first. Age-restricting things is completely pointless because there's no way you can prove what birth date you enter isn't a lie, and if there were, that would be an even more egregious breach of privacy.

[@Ryan-pz4dh]

@@UnchainedEruption that’s what IDs are for. Internet providers could be forced by law to see someone’s identification and the same laws that prevent lawyers and doctors from using your data unethically would apply. But then again maybe we wouldn’t need that if so many idiots weren’t having kids and shoving a phone/computer screen into their kids’ faces while they’re getting baked out of their minds.

[@liamwinter4512]

Yes. Mass socialisation has been going on for long enough to see that it isn't healthy or helping after a certain point.

[@user-ul5pt1yb8z]

Thanks a lot

[@fingerscrossed2453]

I hope social media will one day be viewed like slot machines are - harmful old relics which people dabble in briefly before getting bored and going to talk to their friends who arrive at the bar after being caught up in traffic.

[@divergentsenior]

It has destroyed much more than a generation.

[@cattysplat]

It has also destroyed most generations. Most working population and older generation all use social media. Even retired people who barely use the internet use it.

[@divergentsenior]

@@cattysplat Guilty of using YT. I communicate directly with people meaningful to me (a small circle). I did Twitter for one year just to see if it was filled with mean people or made people mean. Yes to both. YT presents a unique opportunity to interact on stories of substance with fewer trolls. More, it offers the chance to see speeches, panels, free audiobooks, varied perspectives on a vast array of subjects, music, etc Unlike my time on Twitter, which is built for lies and trolls, I learn a lot here. I have found other ways to read my favorites from Twitter on locals, sub stack, rumble, etc. It's not all free, but it is worth it to escape the meaningless vitriol. But the net to the negative is clear.

[@ludaheracles7201]

Virtue signaller, you must feel very virtuous. Well done on signalling your virtue.

[@divergentsenior]

@@ludaheracles7201 I see you graduated from the Kamala school of repetition.

[@breynnbailey1287]

This is outstanding! As a mother of three who did not have a single social media account until my children’s schools pushed for it I can tell you the devastating effects it has had on myself and my children. Bravo for having a discussion about this. I too believe that social media use is dangerous, deadly and will have long term consequences if left to continue.

[@breynnbailey1287]

@ well. No fight but my kids are homeschooled now. Thanks 😊

[@Foxy_proxy]

On top of that, those norms taught by these platforms are usually some form of stupidity.

[@darkhighwayman1757]

I sometimes wish I was young today but I'm glad I grew up without omnipresent social media and it's mob.

[@reasonablyserious]

Born in 1998, I agree. Social media made young millenials the main influence of gen z, instead of actual friends, parents and other, grown-up family members.

[@anabolicchicken4115]

I'm glad I realized how to make the internet useful at a young age. I mean I used social media (not anymore besides youtube and whatsapp) but it never took control over me. It scares me how mentally lazy people have become, but I know we have the strength to recognize our mistakes and correct them

[@rampageclover9788]

I started to see small rumblings in 2005 with Bebo and MySpace…I first heard about Facebook in 2007 but didn’t really see it start to kick off until 2009. It’s snowballed from there, then Instagram in 2012 and now TikTok…they’re gonna be doing so much research into this for years to come

[@mrsebagwell8856]

I have access to a work canteen and every lunchtime the room is silent, every member of staff glued to their phones. It’s sad...no one connects in person anymore.