The details on "Project Mercury" are particularly striking when you look at the transcripts from Ottawa. During the House Heritage Committee hearings for the Online Harms Act (Bill C-63), tech representatives repeatedly told MPs that the science linking platforms to mental health issues was inconclusive. We now know their internal data confirmed the link years ago. It is frustrating to see the "correlation isn't causation" defense used to stall Canadian legislation when their own researchers had already settled the debate.
I'm sure Meta won't let this crisis go to waste, as age verification becomes another method to harvest and monetize our most sensitive data: biometrics.
We don’t need to wait another ten years of playing it safe while kids pay the price right now. This wasn’t some careful test; it was a huge, uncontrolled experiment on kids, and the signs are clear. Anxiety, depression, bullying, exploitation, and attention issues didn’t just pop up out of nowhere. They’re linked directly to smartphones and social media becoming a normal part of childhood.
Waiting for perfect agreement is a luxury parents and governments can’t afford. When the danger is obvious, responsible leaders step up. Australia raising the minimum age isn’t overreacting; it’s basic risk management.
We already see improvements when phones are taken out of classrooms. Extending that to early teens makes sense. Less social media means fewer predators, less humiliation, and more space for kids to live and learn in the real world.
The experiment failed. It’s time to end it instead of pretending to be neutral while another generation suffers the consequences.
Well said. Even though I was never a parent, it concerns me greatly that children are being exploited this way, and the harm it’s causing them, up to and including self harm and even death. Apart from this, I have even seen older adults become highly addicted to computer games, hours a day, to the point where normal conversation dies out. They don’t realize that this habit places them at higher risk for cognitive decline, IMHO.
You are right. The harm to children is real and immediate, and it is not limited to online interactions. Addiction to games or social media at any age rewires attention, diminishes real-world engagement, and carries long-term risks for mental and cognitive health. Adults and children alike are paying the price for habits that were never meant to be normal. The more we recognize this, the more urgent it becomes to set boundaries and protect the most vulnerable.
Any research forthcoming on the searchable hardcore pornography database of young men’s primal fears about sex and women that we ran as an experiment on our 12 year olds? Probably not.
I don't need or want the gov't to step in and be my parent. I agree the evidence is strong that young teens struggle to manage the temptations offered by social media and social media offers predators easier access to teens. I definitely don't think the evidence shows the need to hit the problem with a sledgehammer by requiring age verification to access social media or the internet. Show the evidence to parents, schools, teachers, and education unions.
1. Help them ban cell phone use in class.
2. Help parents push back on the social pressure to get their kids smart phones instead of a simple flip-phone.
3. Help law enforcement identify and track the predatory use and techniques, then make an example out of them.
Why does every problem have to be solved with poorly written laws and gov't money/regulation/enforcement?
ain't that odd, the mainstream media and Meta align to strangle the internet. War on free speech by freaks fisting cameras hardwired to a walls sight and sound. They are doomed -- we are never going back to the parasitical propaganda pimps of the past 3,000 years. What a beautiful time to be alive!
So, given the leaks and timelines, did Zuk commit perjury before Congress? What about the company reps who testified to Canada? Can anyone be brought up on charges for their lies? I bet not.
The details on "Project Mercury" are particularly striking when you look at the transcripts from Ottawa. During the House Heritage Committee hearings for the Online Harms Act (Bill C-63), tech representatives repeatedly told MPs that the science linking platforms to mental health issues was inconclusive. We now know their internal data confirmed the link years ago. It is frustrating to see the "correlation isn't causation" defense used to stall Canadian legislation when their own researchers had already settled the debate.
I'm sure Meta won't let this crisis go to waste, as age verification becomes another method to harvest and monetize our most sensitive data: biometrics.
We don’t need to wait another ten years of playing it safe while kids pay the price right now. This wasn’t some careful test; it was a huge, uncontrolled experiment on kids, and the signs are clear. Anxiety, depression, bullying, exploitation, and attention issues didn’t just pop up out of nowhere. They’re linked directly to smartphones and social media becoming a normal part of childhood.
Waiting for perfect agreement is a luxury parents and governments can’t afford. When the danger is obvious, responsible leaders step up. Australia raising the minimum age isn’t overreacting; it’s basic risk management.
We already see improvements when phones are taken out of classrooms. Extending that to early teens makes sense. Less social media means fewer predators, less humiliation, and more space for kids to live and learn in the real world.
The experiment failed. It’s time to end it instead of pretending to be neutral while another generation suffers the consequences.
Well said. Even though I was never a parent, it concerns me greatly that children are being exploited this way, and the harm it’s causing them, up to and including self harm and even death. Apart from this, I have even seen older adults become highly addicted to computer games, hours a day, to the point where normal conversation dies out. They don’t realize that this habit places them at higher risk for cognitive decline, IMHO.
You are right. The harm to children is real and immediate, and it is not limited to online interactions. Addiction to games or social media at any age rewires attention, diminishes real-world engagement, and carries long-term risks for mental and cognitive health. Adults and children alike are paying the price for habits that were never meant to be normal. The more we recognize this, the more urgent it becomes to set boundaries and protect the most vulnerable.
Any research forthcoming on the searchable hardcore pornography database of young men’s primal fears about sex and women that we ran as an experiment on our 12 year olds? Probably not.
Why is that?
Jean Twenge and you guys should ask the question: has modern internet pornography’s celebration destroyed a generation?
Thank you for your tireless work surfacing this information and presenting it in a way that can make a difference for average parents! So grateful!
I don't need or want the gov't to step in and be my parent. I agree the evidence is strong that young teens struggle to manage the temptations offered by social media and social media offers predators easier access to teens. I definitely don't think the evidence shows the need to hit the problem with a sledgehammer by requiring age verification to access social media or the internet. Show the evidence to parents, schools, teachers, and education unions.
1. Help them ban cell phone use in class.
2. Help parents push back on the social pressure to get their kids smart phones instead of a simple flip-phone.
3. Help law enforcement identify and track the predatory use and techniques, then make an example out of them.
Why does every problem have to be solved with poorly written laws and gov't money/regulation/enforcement?
ain't that odd, the mainstream media and Meta align to strangle the internet. War on free speech by freaks fisting cameras hardwired to a walls sight and sound. They are doomed -- we are never going back to the parasitical propaganda pimps of the past 3,000 years. What a beautiful time to be alive!
So, given the leaks and timelines, did Zuk commit perjury before Congress? What about the company reps who testified to Canada? Can anyone be brought up on charges for their lies? I bet not.
The Collective Unconscious is alive and well...
https://open.substack.com/pub/heathsherratt/p/babel-on?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&shareImageVariant=overlay&r=1wblhs