Jonathan Haidt

The article argues that America's hands-off approach to Big Tech has led to harmful consequences for children, including rising rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm among teens. Recent legal actions against Meta and YouTube, including multimillion-dollar verdicts, signal a shift toward holding tech companies accountable for their platforms' addictive designs and impact on youth mental health.

Online child safety campaigners call for a US inquiry into Roblox, citing concerns that the game platform's design and business model conflict with children's developmental needs. The campaign is led by groups including Jonathan Haidt's Anxious Generation Movement. Roblox has 150 million daily users, including many under-13s.

The European Commission is developing new regulations targeting social media companies' addictive design features and restricting children's account access. A policy analyst argues these measures will likely be ineffective without broader societal changes, citing Australia's stricter teen social media ban as a more robust approach.