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Unsealed court documents show teen addiction was big tech's "top priority"

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Re: Unsealed court documents show teen addiction was big tech's "top priority"

#31

Post by integralid »

mikkupikku wrote: post #10

I fully expect this to get ignored like all the other similar revelations. Heads should roll, literally, but nothing will happen. Does anybody have any earnest hope for reform? Even in Europe where the public is supposedly keyed in, and where there is some political traction for getting away from American companies, nobody seems to take the idea of banning these corporations seriously.

The idea of banning meta or Google is indeed not serious. What's realistic is forcing them to behave by issuing fines that make such behavior prohibitively expensive. Admittedly there's nobody doing that in Europe seriously yet, but that's because the current unhinged head of American state has meltdown every time American bigtech get a wrist slap.

Re: Unsealed court documents show teen addiction was big tech's "top priority"

#32

Post by michaelt »

RajT88 wrote: post #27

And why not? AAA game companies have been reported to have psychologists on staff to help make their games more addictive. We don't police big tobacco very well on making their products more addictive. We seem to be fine with expanding gambling - where I live (not Nevada!) slot machines are everywhere. Nice restaurants even will dedicate corners to slot machines - not just seedy bars. Sports betting apps are all over…

> Why would we regulate big tech if we don't bother with anything else?

I’m pretty sure we do, in fact, ban under 18s from tobacco, alcohol, and real-money gambling.

Re: Unsealed court documents show teen addiction was big tech's "top priority"

#33

Post by betaby »

shimman wrote: post #25
betaby wrote: post #22

Meanwhile 2 billion Coca Colas are sold per day. That's over 75 million kgs of sugar/day - no one bats an eye. Teen/kid addiction to sugar was and is a priority. Social networks is a sugar for minds.

You must have been a child when Michelle Obama said that children needed better food and half the country lost their collective minds. Hard to do anything when corporations control what most legislation is passed.

> You must have been a child when Michelle Obama said

My kids were born long before Obama took the office.

What's your point again? That president can't control the quality of the food in the country under their control?

Re: Unsealed court documents show teen addiction was big tech's "top priority"

#34

Post by reaperducer »

shimman wrote: post #25
betaby wrote: post #22

Meanwhile 2 billion Coca Colas are sold per day. That's over 75 million kgs of sugar/day - no one bats an eye. Teen/kid addiction to sugar was and is a priority. Social networks is a sugar for minds.

You must have been a child when Michelle Obama said that children needed better food and half the country lost their collective minds. Hard to do anything when corporations control what most legislation is passed.

I've always wondered if her initiative, which caused some big food companies to reduce fat and salt in their products, and change their frying media, is the reason for the rise of Sriracha in America.

My theory is that the food tasted less flavorful, so people compensated by adding their own.

I don't eat a lot of junk food, but for a long time after the Obama administration, when I did partake, often my immediate reaction was "Wow. These aren't as tasty as I remember."

/I'm looking at you, Cool Ranch Doritos.

Re: Unsealed court documents show teen addiction was big tech's "top priority"

#36

Post by tryauuum »

mikkupikku wrote: post #10

I fully expect this to get ignored like all the other similar revelations. Heads should roll, literally, but nothing will happen. Does anybody have any earnest hope for reform? Even in Europe where the public is supposedly keyed in, and where there is some political traction for getting away from American companies, nobody seems to take the idea of banning these corporations seriously.

how would you ban it?

I don't want the russian-style ban enforced by ISPs

Probably punishing companies who pay YouTube for ads would work

Re: Unsealed court documents show teen addiction was big tech's "top priority"

#38

Post by antiframe »

betaby wrote: post #22

Meanwhile 2 billion Coca Colas are sold per day. That's over 75 million kgs of sugar/day - no one bats an eye. Teen/kid addiction to sugar was and is a priority. Social networks is a sugar for minds.

"No one bats an eye" is a weird take when the Federal Government, via the Department of Health and Human Services, has literally just declared war on added sugar. [1] Also, lots of people have already changed their diets [2] regarded added sugar.

Sugar has been vilified for longer and more vociferously than social media use by kids, but that may be changing now.

[1]: https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2026-01-07/trump-admin...

[2]: https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(23)02461-9/pdf

Re: Unsealed court documents show teen addiction was big tech's "top priority"

#39

Post by reaperducer »

betaby wrote: post #33
shimman wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You must have been a child when Michelle Obama said that children needed better food and half the country lost their collective minds. Hard to do anything when corporations control what most legislation is passed.

> You must have been a child when Michelle Obama said My kids were born long before Obama took the office. What's your point again? That president can't control the quality of the food in the country under their control?

The way I read it, he takes issue with your assertion that "nobody bats an eye" at sugar in Coke.

This is quite the opposite of everything I've ever seen in my entire life in America.

Or perhaps since you mention sugar, not corn syrup, and list quantities in kilograms not pounds or tons, he suspects you may not actually have first-hand experience with this.

Re: Unsealed court documents show teen addiction was big tech's "top priority"

#40

Post by malfist »

RajT88 wrote: post #27

And why not? AAA game companies have been reported to have psychologists on staff to help make their games more addictive. We don't police big tobacco very well on making their products more addictive. We seem to be fine with expanding gambling - where I live (not Nevada!) slot machines are everywhere. Nice restaurants even will dedicate corners to slot machines - not just seedy bars. Sports betting apps are all over…

This is defeatist. Just because something is bad doesn't mean we shouldn't care at all and just let everything be bad.
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