Is social media bad for society?

Its incentives amplify misinformation, addiction, polarization, and mental health harms faster than its benefits offset.

Engagement-maximizing algorithms amplify misinformation, polarization, and measurable harm to teen mental health faster than society can correct for them.

It accelerates the spread of misinformation and negatively impacts youth mental health.

Social media's engagement-maximizing algorithms have driven addiction, a documented youth mental health crisis, and deepened societal polarization since the early 2010s.