Meta's attack plan backfires on all sides

Meta's secret plan against Haidt

Court filings revealed that Meta employees discussed a whisper strategy in 2023 to turn academics against Jonathan Haidt before his bestselling book was published.

The strategy included a takedown piece

Meta's plan included a below-the-line campaign with an idea to get someone to write a critical piece, possibly referencing Columbia University professor Andrew Gelman.

Haidt's influence on the debate

Haidt has spent years arguing that social media and smartphones harm teen mental health, including testimony to Congress in 2022 and his 2018 book The Coddling of the American Mind.

Unclear if Meta acted on the plan

It remains unclear whether Meta ever actually implemented the whisper strategy discussed by its employees, but the revelation has sparked significant backlash.

Candice Odgers denies Meta influence

Psychology professor Candice Odgers, who has critiqued Haidt's work, published a Substack post insisting she was not paid by Meta and came to her conclusions independently.

“No. I was not paid to critique the Anxious Generation”

Danah boyd criticizes Meta's ethics

Cornell communication professor danah boyd, who studies teen social media use, said she has nothing nice to say about Meta but stands by her independent research.

“These days, I have absolutely nothing nice to say about Meta-the-company despite knowing a few amazing people who work there”

Gelman defends Haidt and attacks Meta

Andrew Gelman, who has previously critiqued Haidt, came to his defense and denounced Meta's private discussions as creepy and horrible.

“Doing it behind the scenes, it's creepy. It's horrible. I have nothing good to say about that”

Gelman received Meta funding before

Gelman said he received a twenty five thousand dollar no-strings-attached donation from Meta in twenty sixteen through Columbia for his research, but unrelated to teen health.

Chris Ferguson condemns both sides

Stetson University psychology professor Chris Ferguson said Meta's whisper campaign is gross and accused both Haidt and Meta of being aggressive and harmful to understanding youth mental health.

“The idea that Meta would create a whisper campaign or whatever against any scholar is gross”

Haidt welcomes the debate

Haidt said he welcomes opposing views and rigorous scientific debate, and that criticism has caused his research group to sharpen their arguments and publish multiple review papers.

Haidt compares Meta to Big Tobacco

Haidt said Meta's plan to distort academic debate mirrors tactics from the Big Tobacco playbook and should concern anyone who cares about scientific integrity and children's wellbeing.

“Meta's own internal studies confirm our finding. Meta's internal documents also show that the company discussed a plan to distort the academic debate and process, a tactic straight out of the Big Tobacco playbook”

The lawsuits driving the disclosure

The Meta meeting notes were disclosed in court filings for consolidated lawsuits against Meta and other social media companies alleging they misled the public about safety risks to teens.

Meta faces billions in potential penalties

Meta has recently faced high-profile legal defeats in similar cases and separately settled claims from state attorneys general for seventeen point one billion dollars.