• Analysis
Meta discussed 'whisper strategy' against Jonathan Haidt, court documents show
Meta staff discussed a 'whisper strategy' to undermine social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, whose book The Anxious Generation helped push stricter online safety measures, according to internal minutes revealed in US court documents.
Internal minutes filed in US court litigation show Meta staff weighed how to blunt the influence of Jonathan Haidt, the social psychologist whose book The Anxious Generation helped tip the online safety debate towards measures such as Australia's under-16 social media ban. The discussion of a 'whisper strategy' is set out in the filing in litigation brought by school districts suing the company.
What the minutes say
The notes appear in a document titled 'Well-being Meeting Sound-check Notes'. They discuss how Meta could 'turn other academics against Haidt' and 'debunk' his work, and suggest getting someone called 'Gellman' to write 'a takedown piece'.
- •The plan is framed as quiet work: 'Not thinking about this as a loud strategy. A below-the-line campaign.'
- •Minutes from a meeting on 8 March 2023 mention 'Curtiss', apparently then vice-president of research Curtiss Cobb, whose goal was 'how do we get the academic community to disavow Haidt'.
- •The minutes predate Haidt's 2024 book and discuss responding to a Substack post he wrote reviewing articles.
It is not clear whether Meta acted on the ideas outlined in the minutes.
Who Haidt is and why Meta discussed him
Haidt's book argues that widespread use of smartphones has caused a mental health crisis for young people. He advocates banning social media for under-16s and smartphones in schools, and earlier this year then health secretary Wes Streeting asked him to address UK officials on a possible social media ban for under-16s in the UK.
Gelman denies role
Andrew Gelman, a Columbia University professor of statistics and political science, wrote in a blogpost that he was never hired by Facebook to do a hit job on Jonathan Haidt. He said he had previously received money from Meta on a no-strings basis and was never asked to examine social media's impact on teenagers' health.
How the documents emerged and Meta's response
The minutes were revealed in a court filing as part of the litigation brought by school districts suing the company. Haidt told The Verge he was not surprised.
"When companies can't dispute the evidence, they go after the messenger."
Meta has been approached for comment.
