Internal corporate documents brought to light through ongoing legal battles indicate that Meta executives actively strategized ways to undermine social psychologist Jonathan Haidt. Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation, has emerged as a leading voice criticizing social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram for their detrimental effects on youth mental health, tying digital consumption to rising rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm among children and teens.
The filings point toward a March 2023 meeting where company leadership debated methods to counter the growing academic and public influence of Haidt's research. Meeting notes outline proposals for a whisper strategy designed to sow doubt about his findings through indirect media influence, alongside tasks assigned to senior research staff to mobilize academic pushback. Ideas floated in the documents included recruiting prominent methodology experts to publicly challenge his conclusions and attempting to orchestrate academic disavowals.
While records show specific academics were named as potential candidates to author critical reviews—though some later confirmed they were never actually contacted by the company—the documents highlight a distinct corporate focus on managing external criticism. Rather than tackling the core public health concerns raised regarding youth wellness on its platforms, leadership spent meeting cycles mapping out public relations strategies to diminish a prominent academic critic.
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