@eniko except that social media really IS designed by researchers to be maximally addictive, so I'm not sure that compares fully.
Of course, that part should be banned for everyone.
Satanic Panic doesn't have a list of victims, but I got this in 2 seconds of searching.
Teens Whose Deaths Were Linked to Social Media:
Molly Russell (14): A British teen whose 2017 death was linked to social media, prompting inquests into Instagram and Pinterest content.
Jordan DeMay (17): Died by suicide in 2026 after a "financial sextortion" scam involving a fake Instagram account, leading to a lawsuit against Meta.
Coco Arnold (17): Died in 2022 from fentanyl-laced pills allegedly sold by an older man contacted through Instagram.
Bradyn Bohn (17): Died by suicide following a financial sextortion scheme, leading to a lawsuit against Meta.
Cameron Murphy (15): Died by suicide; his mother cited his addiction to Instagram and TikTok.
Jools Roome (14): Died in 2025 after a suspected TikTok challenge.
JackLynn Blackwell (9): Died in 2026 attempting a viral social media dare.
Renna O'Rourke: Died attempting a "dusting" challenge in 2025.
Ciara Pugsley: Committed suicide after being bullied on Ask.fm.
Jessica Laney: Hanged herself after being bullied on Ask.fm.
Daniel Perry: Jumped to his death after being blackmailed on Skype.
Audrey Sites: Died from suicide following targeting on Roblox.
@JoeHenzi @larsmb @eniko Dungeons and Dragons was linked to a bunch of deaths in the 80s. It was all bullshit of course, but there is always something we have to blame for 'the state of the kids'
Social media
Video games
Dungeons and Dragons
Rock and Roll
Books
It's always the same thing, just the focus of the panic changes.
But those stories weren't real, D&D didn't put out a product designed to exploit your deepest desires, wants, needs. You really need to understand what's happening with social media and your brain.
You also need to understand what evidence is, sorry. There are lists of dead kids, even Facebook has evidence of their product bringing harm to people - but yes, we should defend them....
EDIT: Christ, just SEARCH the topic - there was ONE case they lost. Facebook didn't prevail, there is evidence, there ARE dead kids, think again which side you're choosing here.
"what if" -- they have evidence themselves that they set out to create - and did create - a harmful and addictive product
society failing is more likely caused by it (Cambridge Analytica) than social media being a symptom
it causes addiction, we're negotiating a way to stay addicted right now...
EDIT: I don't disagree society is utterly failing, but I don't blame FB for it nor think we are escaping to FB. It's all the same problem.
@JoeHenzi @larsmb @eniko I'm not on the side of Facebook (and other social media) - it needs to be regulated harshly. But I am against banning stuff. Banning stuff just leads to people getting access through deceitful means anyway.
The same arguments about addiction were made about video games, Dungeons and Dragons and books. Video games and Dungeons and Dragons had hundreds of studies that 'proved' how they addicted kids and turned them to evil.
If anything, books are the addiction that made the biggest societal change, completely changing the mindset of those who read and leading us to the democracies we have today. Older society was in an outrage about how addictive books were for the youth.
Let's just say I'm skeptical about studies that say that things that kids find enjoyable and new are addictive and evil.
I say this as a parent of three kids on social media - all of who use them extensively as communication tools and none of who are addicted. For our family the benefits way outweigh the drawbacks.
> Let's just say I'm skeptical about studies that say that things that kids find enjoyable and new are addictive and evil.
You are out right lying to yourself. It's not what people find enjoyable that they feed us and addicts us - it's rage, racism, hate. That's what hooks you, anger. That's why ragebait is the word of the year!
You're acting like someone is about taking something fun from kids.
D&D - there was studies, suicides didn't go up. People are writing about Instagram/Facebook in their suicide notes! You're literally ignoring what's really going on and pretending social media is some great thing when it's given us Trump and the rest.
It's an advertising platform - not a game, not musical expression. It's a company selling you illicit drugs and scam ads.
@JoeHenzi @draftexcluder @larsmb @eniko so this should be an easy one for you; if Facebook is the problem (and it is) why does every piece of legislation that's just appeared around the world target the kids, not Facebook's practices? 🤔🤔🤔🤔
Facebook doesn't care if the kids are (theoretically) gone, it means the heat is off them a bit, and they can ramp up the abusive practices.
@JoeHenzi @larsmb "Satanic Panic doesn't have a list of victims"
uhh yeah it does actually https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8Nhvr1X8Kc
@JoeHenzi @larsmb okay so do something *about facebook*, *legislate against facebook*
don't cut kids off from the rest of society. what, you think no kids ever died from being under the total control of their abusive parents with no way to connect with anyone else?
also you're a real piece of work insinuating over and over that i'm somehow a proponent of facebook in any way, let alone them making a profit off dead kids
@JoeHenzi I'm just honestly trying to convey the complete information of what is happening here,would be muting shit out of this if didn't want to so don't worry if I get tired I'll just go and shut up
I just see a well-intended person getting the wrong idea for reasons related to a lack of, well, seeing around what little some people have out there, as in, for reals, some of us had nothing besides the internet for so SO long
Age bans are applied for THE INTERNET, not Facebook and TikTok, sadly
@Nawer_Rapter noooo
i'm not for age bans though, i never once said that... i HATE anyone asking for ID
but I also think like social media is a fucking cancer and there are dead kids - so maybe, like, get rid of all of it... even this?
@Nawer_Rapter Like I'm not blind that kids need more - but we should fix schools then if they aren't the place. Really. Not trust computers, they WILL require us to provide ID, the thing the OP was rallying against. Schools are different, they gate people, there are background checks in place, etc. I'm realistic but I don't think the open internet is where kids should turn if they need help either - my point is simply we see too much evidence that does not work. Realize, I'm from the AOL days, pre-internet - that's ALSO where kids were abducted and stuff... if you have a market of kids, you'll create a market of sickos... never mind social media challenges that end in death, sextortion cases etc...
And I'm 100% not one to normally fall for "but about the kids" kind of stuff. But like, social media is a cancer on all of us. We're fighting now though we likely agree on most things and just something about this becomes toxic. Mastodon rules - because I can block people - Elon wants to remove that from Twitter....
I'm sorry I'm SOOOOO rigid on this. I just really hate social media, even right now. I do love you as a human though I'm sorry we're at odds.
@Nawer_Rapter Maybe we can cut it both ways - burn Facebook to the ground, keep lines of communication open. It's the algorithm we're mostly upset with anyways, it's what's killing us...
I can't even go into what's been happening in my city. Just that we have a long wikipedia page of race riots and the new media is using Facebook to start another one here - they've used it for genocide in Asia.
@Nawer_Rapter also very sorry, I *am* emotional over this
- lost a brother to suicide (a second to an overdose)
- run a charity paying for child funerals
I'm not for ID checks, I refuse to use sites that require it. But I'm also very against dead kids. Totally get the problem with MAGA screaming over things like drag shows, hate to come off like one of them... but I think social media appeals to the lowest, it's *why* we have MAGA in the first place.
got the classic reply guy block but: I think these guys lack imagination in both how socmed can be improved (especially for over 14's) and how children can be hurt in ways that arent socmed's fault
i need these dudes to understand a large chunk of the financial push for socmed bans is the establishment is mad kids are propalestine. Not to say the stories of bullying arent real but this was never the only or best solution to bullying or depression
Eniko Fox
Lars Marowsky-Brée 😷
JoeHenzi
Draft Excluder
ahistorical immaterialist
Phil Dennis-Jordan
ceets
Ovidi Nawer
healyn