Galloway refers to the absurdity of the entire error of these platforms to age appropriately:

What is more challenging to find out whether someone is younger than 16, or builds up a global real-time communication network that stores an almost infinite amount of text, video and audio, which can be called up by billions of simultaneous users in milliseconds with 24/7 upime? The social media giants know where they are, what they do, how they feel and whether they have thoughts of suicide … but they cannot find out their age. You cannot invent these shit.

Source – Scott Galloway (newsletter)

Haidt’s findings are convincing because he describes the too frequent fight against the screen time in most houses with children of school age.

Of course not just any screen time.

The problem with the apps on these platforms is how they are designed:

Think

• Anonymous

• Weak ineffective age grid (see above)

• Infinite scrolling

• Messages disappear (no examination track left)

• Autoplay by default

• Warnings and notifications

• Rewards for commitment (Gamification)

• Peer comparisons and the remuneration

• Insane creative (short videos)

• Lack of effects (”We are not responsible for the content‘))

Add them together and create a perfect storm.

Dopamin scored after the goal from dopamine.

And a big suck.

Now layer this about a vulnerable user between the ages of 10 and 18 and we are in a completely different place.

As Haidt argues:

“We overwritten our children in the real world and subordinated them online.”

Apart from that – it’s not just children who suffer.

Many parents also fight with the problems that arise from the overuse of smartphones, but at least they are responsible adults and in many cases are mature enough to deal with some of them.

In short, from the point of view of parenthood, the use of smartphones in the household leads too continuously partly attention.

To be there, but not to be there.

And that’s just one of the downstream problems.

But I wander off. Back to the children.

At the same time, we record a significant decline in intellectual well -being of younger people with the above. And here is the core. Haidt argues that it is very plausible that the main causes are due to the use of smartphones, the use of social media and the reduction of the unattended game (in addition to some other linked factors).

Cause and effect.

I would like to think that – but those who maintain interests in maintaining the status quo want to argue differently.

“Correlation does not implied any causality”