Meta considered a ‘whisper strategy’ to turn academics against Jonathan Haidt
As Meta was feeling public pressure over teen mental health, and facing an impending onslaught of kids safety trials, the company considered a campaign to discredit a key critic: social psychologist Jonathan Haidt.
Newly filed court documents show that in March 2023, Meta discussed a “Whisper strategy” to “turn academics against Haidt,” a thought leader who blamed social media for rising adolescent depression and anxiety. Haidt hadn’t yet published his bestselling book, The Anxious Generation, but he testified about his conclusions before Congress in 2022, and in February 2023, he began posting more of his theories and research to Substack. Meta, knowing that a mountain of legal cases brought were set to go to trial within a few years, seemed particularly sensitive to Haidt’s potential to sway the cultural narrative.
In multiple meetings, Meta employees appear to have discussed ways to undermine Haidt, according to a recent filing...
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