While many tech leaders claim to have good intentions towards kids, they spend money fighting legislation that would make their products safer for children. Research and leaked documents from big tech companies reveal that they want to hook children on their products to make more profits. Even though companies like Meta, TikTok, Instagram, and Roblox have found that their products seem to be damaging young people, they continue to market them to children. The authors point to specific evidence which reveals how these companies have ignored concerns about children’s well-being, from mood disorders to body image, bullying, and sexual predators.

The authors compare “Big Tech,” or the biggest and most successful tech companies, to “Big Tobacco,” the cigarette companies who tried to get kids and teens hooked on smoking as young as possible. Similarly, Big Tech has created apps especially designed for children, such as Messenger Kids and YouTube Kids, to appeal to children and persuade parents that they are safe.

The authors argue that this proves that tech companies don’t care about kids’ quality of life, but only about how to make money off of them. In one Facebook presentation, an employee explained that the company cares about tweens because they are an “untapped audience” (127). When kids develop real-world interests and skills like in-person community, their attention span, and independent thinking, this is positive for kids but bad for tech companies’ profits.

In the graphic novel, the characters begin planning their science fair projects. As Callie, Sophie, and Jax discuss their options, they watch a guy walk into a pole while looking at his phone. They decide to study how much screen time their classmates have every day, and research how this affects young people. Sophie makes a poster display and Callie and Jax type up their data. They present their research to their classmates, explaining the dangers of screen time and social media, such as attention span problems, mood disorders, and time-wasting. They argue that kids with phones are often wasting their free time making money for other people and damaging their own brains. They challenge their classmates to consider if they want to live for themselves, or for tech companies.

In this section Haidt and Price further denigrate big tech companies and their leaders. By including references to leaked documents and presentations, the authors try to persuade the reader that tech companies are irresponsible and do not deserve their trust by quoting their own words and self-professed motives. For instance, they refer to leaked documents from Instagram to prove that the company is aware of their products’ harm to teens’ mental health: “‘They often feel ‘addicted’ and know that what they’re seeing is bad for their mental health but feel unable to stop themselves’” while another document from the same company admitted, “‘We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls’” (122). They also quote a Meta employee as telling a co-worker, “‘Child safety is an explicit non-goal’” (123). By suggesting that tech companies make money off of kids but do not take action to protect them, this passage asks the reader to consider who is benefitting the most from their gaming and social media use: Themselves, or the tech companies.

Chapter Lessons

• Big tech companies like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Roblox have acknowledged that their products may be harming kids
• Big Tech is trying to hook kids young to maximize their profits
• When kids use games and social media, it harms them but benefits tech companies

Reflection Questions

• Did you find the evidence in this chapter persuasive? Why or why not?
• What kind of responsibility, if any, do you think tech companies have towards children? What sort of government legislation would you like to see around children’s use of tech?
• If you were a tech leader, how would you change your app to make sure it is not harmful to kids? Are the apps you use designed in this way?