Unsealed court documents in ongoing litigation appear to show Meta employees discussing how to undermine Jonathan Haidt, the social psychologist behind 'The Anxious Generation' who criticizes social media's effect on youth and is a professor at NYU's Stern School of Business. The documents, which appear to date from 2023, reference a 'Haidt assignment' aimed at getting the academic community to disavow him, and describe a covert 'whisper strategy' requiring coordination across Policy, Comms and Legal. Meta has faced lawsuits since 2022 alleging youth mental health harms, and it reached a settlement with 52 attorneys general agreeing to pay up to $18.5 billion. An SEC filing says damages sought in its youth mental health cases have at times amounted to more than a trillion dollars.
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Related tickers and likely impact
META
▼ Likely negativeMeta Platforms
Relevance: low
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | Communication Services |
| Industry | Interactive Media & Services |
| Market cap | $1.7T |
| Close on 10/29/2026 | 624.54 |
| Change that session | +1.97% |
Impact is scored by AI from the headline and may be wrong. It is not investment advice.
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