@madeindex @samuel I only ask because corp-run social media has been around for a generation now, and if it “certainly” harmed kids’ wellbeing we’d have a major issue now with the cohort of them who’ve become adults, and we actually don’t and that cohort seems quite normal.

And also the experts who study it academically can’t form consensus on whether it’s harmful, so it isn’t at all obvious that it is.

We can speculate about whether it’s bad for kids’ wellbeing, or we can pick a specific child and assert that it’s bad for that individual, but it isn’t at all certain that it’s bad for kids in general.

That’s all.

@NewtonMark

Young adults don't seem that mentally healthy to me at all.

The rates of serious mental illness (e.g. in the US) are very worrying.

Yes, I'm not an expert, but many articles I have read & my observations of the kids around me lead me to believe - corporate social media is a major factor in this.

For example, the recent social media addiction trials in the US found #Meta liable for harming teens (others settled).

techcrunch.com/2026/03/31/meta…
@samuel

Meta was finally held accountable for harming teens. Now what? | TechCrunch

Meta faces thousands more court cases while Congress has proposed numerous bills addressing children’s online safety, some heavily criticized.

^{Amanda Silberling (TechCrunch)}

@madeindex

Yup... it's never the parents'.

@NewtonMark @samuel

@samuel 2/2

E.g. posting something about a politician being corrupt or a corp evil & instantly getting sued for reputational damages, insulting an official etc.

@madeindex @samuel good comment.

That said, that they 'frequently do it' is the system. What is being negotiated is the cost of the social permission.

The line is 'way back there' for me.

@knowprose Thank you so much friend! Means a lot ❤

💯 agreed! It's sad but that is the reality we live in.

@samuel

@knowprose

I noticed many people believe, that Western countries ranking low on corruption indexes, shows they aren't corrupt as hell.

To me this just means it's at a higher, much harder to prove level.

Instead of starting at the cop level (which is still possible with connections), it starts at the points where multi-millions can be made without anyone really noticing.

E.g. farm land > residential use, construction projects, sale of government properties, favors for corps etc.

@samuel