NSCA member Candice Odgers and NSCA affiliate Jacqueline Nesi were quoted in a New York Times article discussing the recent Meta settlement over claims that Meta’s platforms had harmed young users due to the addictive nature of their designs. “There’s a desire to say with this kind of verdict and these kinds of changes, ‘This is going to solve the problem — this is going to protect teens’ mental health,’” said Nesi, but she warned that this settlement implies social media is the primary driver of mental health issues in young people, and that “is just not supported with the research.” Odgers was optimistic that this settlement might force Meta to design its social media platforms in a way that would make them safer for young users, which has long been recommended, but warned that unless ‘the whole industry gets on board, young people can simply migrate to other platforms.’
