# Meta bosses tried to smear academic and author who led global campaign highlighting damage of social media to young people’s mental health, court documents show

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/meta-bosses-tried-to-smear-academic-and-author-who-led-global-campaign-highlighting-damage-of-social-media-to-young-peoples-mental-health-court-documents-show/
- Published: 2026-10-29T15:48:28+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-29T16:04:30+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16249779/Meta-bosses-tried-smear-academic-author.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Americas, Art, Culture, Elections, Health, Mental Health, Politics, World

## Key points

- Meta staff discussed efforts to undermine Jonathan Haidt’s credibility.
- Meeting minutes date the discussions to March 2023.
- The documents are part of a US school districts’ lawsuit.

## Summary

Court documents reportedly show Meta executives discussed trying to turn academics against social psychologist Jonathan Haidt before his book on young people’s mental health was published. The disclosures matter because they suggest the company considered undermining a prominent critic’s credibility as debate grew over the effects of smartphones and social media on children.

The minutes, from a meeting on 8 March 2023, attribute a plan to then research vice-president Curtiss Cobb to get the academic community to “disavow” Haidt and prompt media doubts about his credibility. Staff also discussed recruiting researchers to write a “takedown” and using a “whisper strategy”; one note named Columbia professor Andrew Gelman, who had criticised Haidt. The documents are part of a US lawsuit brought by a coalition of school districts against Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram. Haidt said he was “not surprised” by the remarks.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.