Can We Save Kids from Social Media?
Mar 19th 2026
Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues social media is designed to addict and harm young people, evidence and new laws from Australia to U.S. court cases are testing whether design, school rules, and regulation can protect kids.
- Jonathan Haidt says social media is built like a behaviorist conditioning machine that encourages addictive, quick dopamine seeking in children.
- Internal platform research and engineer comments describe compulsive use and links to anxiety, attention loss, and other harms.
- Section 230 immunity has kept platforms largely out of court, but thousands of parent suits now sit in a California multi district litigation with bellwether trials planned.
- Australia passed an age verification law this year that required platforms to authenticate users, leading to the removal of millions of underage accounts and initial shifts in behavior.
- Schools that enforce phone-free policies or use lockers report clear improvements in hallway and classroom behavior and early academic measures in preliminary studies.
- Surveys and platform data show substantial self reported harm to young people and sleep, and experts warn that AI will amplify risks such as automated sextortion and emotionally manipulative chatbots.