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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"

#41

Post by RajT88 »

jacquesm wrote: post #29
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…

> And why not? Because it is simply wrong. > 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. Three wrongs don't make a right I guess.

My exact point. Our current moment seems to be us being happy to expand societal harms for whatever reason. I'd hazard a guess it's our political system getting more and more susceptible to lobbying money.

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

#42

Post by ares623 »

uniq7 wrote: post #26
sagacity wrote: post #6

It's good to see that many countries are working on lesiglation to protect children and teens against this, since the companies clearly aren't trying.

The problem is when government's solutions go through identifying everyone and collaterally tracking their actions. In the same way parents can be blamed for not keeping their children safe around guns/alcohol/drugs, they should also be blamed for not keeping the children out of digital dangers, and keep mandatory age verifications out of here.

Problem is that social media doesn’t have negative connotations like guns/alcohol/drugs do. That makes it hard or impossible for individual parents to restrict it. They are perceived as crazy or paranoid or controlling. Plus if their child does opt out of social media, they become a social outcast from their peers who are still on it, which is a worse outcome for the child.

It almost sounds like multiple parents from a large number of households need to collectively act in unison to address the problem effectively. Hmm collective action, that sounds familiar. I wonder if there’s a way to enforce such a collective action?

To be clear, I do agree that putting the ban on the software/platform side is the wrong approach. The ban should be on the physical hardware, similar to how guns/alcohol/tobacco which are all physical objects. But I don’t have the luxury to let perfect be the enemy of close enough.

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

#43

Post by helterskelter »

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…

I know Doom Eternal had one, I believe she was even credited. But the line between "making a game more fun" and "making a game addictive" is a little blurry.

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

#44

Post by 1bpp »

shaftway wrote: post #11

I feel like there are some key differences between the companies though. The second one outlined for Meta is: > Heavily-redacted undated internal document discussing “School Blasts” as a strategy for gaining more high school users (mass notifications sent during the school day). This sounds a lot like Meta being intentionally disruptive. The first one outlined for YouTube is: > Slidedeck on the role that YouTube’s au…

My YouTube use definitely isn't healthy, but it's still the only social app that asks me to take a break if I use it too long or late at night. That should be standard in any of these apps.

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

#45

Post by tokyobreakfast »

antiframe wrote: post #38
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/t…

Well the narrative has already been promulgated that they are "anti-science" so it's being ignored. Sugar is good. Hey Mom, send down more Pixie Stix!!

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

#46

Post by sidrag22 »

michaelt wrote: post #32
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.

> real-money gambling

this is doing a lot of heavy lifting for how loose we have become with under 18 questionable products.

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

#47

Post by sagacity »

uniq7 wrote: post #26
sagacity wrote: post #6

It's good to see that many countries are working on lesiglation to protect children and teens against this, since the companies clearly aren't trying.

The problem is when government's solutions go through identifying everyone and collaterally tracking their actions. In the same way parents can be blamed for not keeping their children safe around guns/alcohol/drugs, they should also be blamed for not keeping the children out of digital dangers, and keep mandatory age verifications out of here.

This is like saying parents are at fault when a gun salesman sells a weapon to their 12 year old.

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

#48

Post by betaby »

reaperducer wrote: post #39
betaby wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

> you may not actually have first-hand experience

Sigh ( in canadian )

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

#49

Post by malfist »

reaperducer wrote: post #34
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.

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 rea…

Can you point to any examples of big food companies actually making changes for Michelle Obama's campaign?
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