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Leading ‘Save The Kids!’ Advocate Pushing Absolutely Dangerous ‘Protect The California’ Ballot Initiative That Will Do Real Harm To Children
Over the last few years we’ve pointed out time and time again that the evidence regarding the supposed “harm” of social media to teen mental health just isn’t supported by the data. But it seems it…
In May of 2023, the American Psychological Association (which has fallen for tech moral panics in the past, such as with video games) released a huge, incredibly detailed, and nuanced report going through all of the evidence, and finding no causal link between social media and harms to teens. And, so, for the rest of this post, let’s explore Jim Steyer and Common Sense Media, because it’s worth calling out his almost Trumpian style of argumentation over this, and how it’s going to lead to real harm, completely undermining whatever “savior” legacy he has currently. Who doesn’t want to “protect the children?” And Steyer has the money at his disposal to get the signatures to get this issue on the ballot, and can easily frame it (as he himself admits) that the public perception here of harm from social media to kids is the reality — even as the actual data keeps saying they’re wrong.
Or read this on r/technology
