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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"

#51

Post by antiframe »

tokyobreakfast wrote: post #45
antiframe wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"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!!

You must run in different circles than I, most people I know have reduced their added sugar consumption. My point was that there has been a swelling wave of anti-sugar sentiment over the last decades and it's reach the point were even RFK loudly said sugar is bad. That's the opposite of "no one bat's an eye". Of course people will ignore all sorts of advice for all sorts of reasons, but the sentiment (as shown by the decline of added sugar consumption) is there, and growing.

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

#52

Post by RajT88 »

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.

Let's check in on how we're doing preventing the tobacco industry from marketing to children.

Hmm, candy flavored vapes both for THC and nicotine. Teen psychosis from THC. Popcorn lung. Not so good it seems!

https://www.lung.org/research/sotc/by-the-numbers/8-things-i...

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

#53

Post by mikkupikku »

malfist wrote: post #49
reaperducer wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Sisco, e.g. public school cafeterias. That's probably about it. The way in which school menus were actually changed was very misguided however.

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

#54

Post by mmooss »

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.

Just looking at the US, tobacco comes with warnings, there are limits on advertising (see any tobacco product commercials on TV?), and the manufacturers lost a lawsuit leading to massive fines and many of these outcomes.

The idea that we don't regulate things would be shocking to the anti-regulation crowd, and the staffs at the FDA, FCC, etc.

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

#55

Post by ares623 »

sagacity wrote: post #47
uniq7 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Not even “sell” but “give for free, constantly, every day, delivered directly to their house, disguised as a toy”

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

#56

Post by ryeights »

1bpp wrote: post #44
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.

TikTok does this as well.

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

#57

Post by ludicrousdispla »

lostlogin wrote: post #5
idle_zealot wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anyone paying attention knew. A smoking gun means that legal action is possible. Or it would be in a better time.

It might, but would that achieve much? Tobacco has done ok.

Companies don't necessarily have to suffer when restrictions are placed on them.

Ask any educator what the biggest positive change was to U.S. high schools in the 1970s and they'll probably answer that it was the ban on smoking in schools.

I expect a similar response in the future regarding bans on social media.

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

#58

Post by nico »

1bpp wrote: post #44
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.

I get those on TikTok. There’s a video of someone asking if you’ve been scrolling/watching for too long and recommending to take a break

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

#59

Post by worik »

sharts wrote: post #9

This is obvious for anyone that understands sales and marketing. The real question isn’t whether this was true—the question is why does anyone expect this revelation would change anything? They made their wealth. They bought their politicians. In the worst possible case for them they would pay some fee that amounts to absolutely nothing making a dent in their personal day to day lives as a consequence of their action…

> In the worst possible case for them they would pay some fee that amounts to absolutely nothing making a dent in their personal day to day lives as a consequence of their actions.

Probably, not definitely

It would be possible to put the executives in jail.

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

#60

Post by tokyobreakfast »

antiframe wrote: post #51
tokyobreakfast wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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!!

You must run in different circles than I, most people I know have reduced their added sugar consumption. My point was that there has been a swelling wave of anti-sugar sentiment over the last decades and it's reach the point were even RFK loudly said sugar is bad. That's the opposite of "no one bat's an eye". Of course people will ignore all sorts of advice for all sorts of reasons, but the sentiment (as shown by the…

I recall a discussion here recently whereupon the list of items eligible for nutrition assistance (food stamps) in the USA were changed to exclude unhealthy foods, especially those with added sugar. Which BTW affects poorer communities disproportionately with long-term health problems like diabetes.

Elimination of processed sugar is a good thing.

Despite this, the discussion quickly pivoted to "how dare you keep poor children from enjoying birthday cake".

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