HoldsUp

Jonathan Haidt

NYU Stern

Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist at NYU Stern and the author of The Anxious Generation. His research primarily examines moral psychology, cross-cultural moral foundations, and political diversity within psychological science. He also investigates the effects of digital technology and social media use on mental health and adolescent well-being.

17 claims checked on air: 2 overstated 6 supported 9 unverified 2 flagged

What they said on air

0:31:10unverifiedvery lowBrain Rot Emergency: These Internal Documents Prove They’re

Internal Meta research documents released in state attorneys general lawsuits show employees stating that Instagram functions like a drug and causes reward deficit disorder due to binging.

"while they're talking about the results of some of their internal research, one of them says, "Oh my gosh, you all, Instagram is a drug. We're basically pushers. We're causing reward deficit disorder because people are binging on Instagram so much, they can't feel reward anymore."" (said at 0:31:10)

No published record matching the claim regarding internal Meta research documents, employee statements comparing Instagram to a drug, or internal references to causing "reward deficit disorder" was located in the PubMed database; this does not prove the claim false.

0:32:11unverifiedvery lowBrain Rot Emergency: These Internal Documents Prove They’re

A team analyzing leaked documents cataloged references to 31 internal research studies conducted by Meta that documented harms from its platforms.

"My team, we put together, we found references to 31 internal studies that Meta did. They've done a lot of research finding harm." (said at 0:32:11)

No published record matching the claim that a research team cataloged references to 31 internal studies conducted by Meta documenting harm was located; this does not prove the claim false.

0:37:18unverifiedvery lowBrain Rot Emergency: These Internal Documents Prove They’re

Internal legal documents from lawsuits show Snapchat was receiving 10,000 reports of sextortion from users each month in 2022.

"So Snapchat at Snapchat in 2022, we know from their internal documents from the lawsuits, they were getting 10,000 reports of sextortion from their users. Not a year, every month." (said at 0:37:18)

No published record matching the claim that internal legal documents show Snapchat received 10,000 sextortion reports from users each month in 2022 was located; this does not prove the claim false.

0:38:18supportedmoderateBrain Rot Emergency: These Internal Documents Prove They’re

The Chinese version of TikTok (Douyin) imposes specific limits on minors, including night shut-offs and algorithms that prioritize educational and patriotic content.

"it was a Chinese company that gave Chinese kids healthy TikTok, or Douyin. They, you know, learned to follow astronauts. Their algorithm feeds their kid patriotic stuff. It shuts off at a certain time at night. There's all kinds of limits." (said at 0:38:18)

Published analyses of Chinese digital platforms confirm that ByteDance operates Douyin under Chinese regulatory frameworks that differ substantially from its international counterpart TikTok. Research on Douyin's platform architecture and content governance documents how the platform actively integrates state-aligned ideological content, including dedicated curation mechanisms for 'positive energy' and patriotic messaging, and adapts platform affordances to comply with domestic regulations governing minor access and screen time.

0:43:47supportedmoderateBrain Rot Emergency: These Internal Documents Prove They’re

Developing secure attachment in childhood makes an individual more likely to exhibit secure attachment in adult romantic relationships.

"And the internal working models you develop as a child are the models that you will reuse in puberty for romantic relationships. And so, if you are securely attached as a child, you're more likely to be securely attached as an adult on the dating market" (said at 0:43:47)

Prospective longitudinal studies tracking individuals from infancy into adulthood support the claim that childhood attachment security predicts adult romantic attachment security. In multi-decade cohorts (such as the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation and the NICHD SECCYD cohort), infants assessed as securely attached via the Strange Situation or experiencing higher-quality early mother-child relationships were significantly more likely in adulthood to show secure romantic attachment representations on the Current Relationship Interview, exhibit lower romantic attachment anxiety and avoidance, and have higher-quality romantic interactions.

0:53:20unverifiedvery lowBrain Rot Emergency: These Internal Documents Prove They’re

A British mother filed a lawsuit in Delaware against TikTok seeking viewing data after her 13-year-old son Jules died from participating in the choking challenge.

"I met Ellen—I believe Ellen Groom, I think was her name. Her son Jules was found dead. Happy kid, found dead, strangled. It sure looked like it was the choking challenge. 13-year-old boy... And she went to Delaware to sue to demand that TikTok release: what was he watching when he died?" (said at 0:53:20)

No published record matching the claim that a British mother (Ellen Roome) filed a lawsuit in Delaware seeking TikTok viewing data following the death of her 13-year-old son Jules from a choking challenge was located; this does not prove the claim false.

1:10:56overstatedmoderateBrain Rot Emergency: These Internal Documents Prove They’re

Digital addictions operate via dopamine and engage largely the same brain regions as substance addictions such as heroin or crack cocaine, producing compulsive use and withdrawal symptoms.

"It's all of this is working through dopamine. If you feel compulsive use, definitely dopamine. So, it's most of the same brain centers as it is for heroin or crack or any other drug. Um and it's the same effects. That is, the it's it's compulsive use where you don't want to do what you want to change, but yet you find yourself doing it, and you have withdrawal effects." (said at 1:10:56)

Neuroimaging and neurochemical research on digital addictions (most extensively studied in internet gaming disorder) demonstrates substantial neurobiological overlap with substance use disorders, including alterations in dopamine-mediated striatal reward pathways, cue-induced cravings, and reduced prefrontal cognitive control. However, equating digital screen use directly to severe chemical substance addictions such as crack cocaine or heroin overstates the equivalence. Reviews emphasize that digital behaviors also activate broad sensory, motor, and cognitive networks not specific to substance dependence, physiological dopamine surges differ substantially from direct pharmacological agents, and evidence for neurobiological withdrawal mechanisms in behavioral addictions remains limited compared to substance use disorders.

1:11:28unverifiedvery lowBrain Rot Emergency: These Internal Documents Prove They’re

The original iPhone released in 2007–2008 launched without an App Store or push notifications.

"the original iPhone was an amazing tool, it was a Swiss Army knife, it had, you know, a a telephone, a browser, maps, a music player, there was a flashlight, okay? There was no App Store, there were no push notifications, 2007, 2008, it's just a Swiss Army knife." (said at 1:11:28)

No published record matching the claim that the original iPhone launched without an App Store or push notifications was located; this does not prove the claim false.

1:14:42supportedhighBrain Rot Emergency: These Internal Documents Prove They’re

US National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test scores rose from the 1970s through 2012, and began declining around 2015 before the COVID-19 pandemic.

"From the '70s through 2012, they were rising. We actually were improving what kids knew, what kids learned in the United States. We have very good data, the national the NAEP, National Assessment of Educational Progress. Goes up till 2012. And then by 2015, it starts going down and it's going down before COVID. And it goes down more during COVID." (said at 1:14:42)

Analyses of long-term trend and main assessment data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that nationwide student academic performance across mathematics and reading rose substantially from the early 1970s through approximately 2012, before leveling off and turning downward around 2015 (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic), with accelerated score declines following the onset of COVID-19 disruptions.

1:15:38unverifiedvery lowBrain Rot Emergency: These Internal Documents Prove They’re

The entire drop in US student educational test scores following the rollout of laptops and tablets in classrooms is driven by the bottom 50% in attention capacity.

"what we now can see is that the top students, the very best students, who are the ones with executive function, they're the ones who can pay attention. If you put a computer on that kid's desk, he's not destroyed by it. He can actually still learn. But the bottom 50% cannot. So, all of the drop in educational stats is the bottom 50%." (said at 1:15:38)

No published record matching the specific claim that the entire drop in educational test scores following classroom laptop or tablet rollouts is driven entirely by the bottom 50% in attention capacity or executive function was located; this does not prove the claim false.

1:23:18supportedmoderateBrain Rot Emergency: These Internal Documents Prove They’re

Research (including Dutch studies) indicates heavy electronic and social media use does not cause ADHD de novo in children without a predisposition, but worsens symptoms in children who already have ADHD.

"I looked to see if there were studies indicating that uh heavy use of social media and video games and all the electronic stuff caused ADHD. And when I was doing the research in 2023, I did not find evidence that it will give a kid ADHD who otherwise wouldn't have it. What I did find was evidence that for kids who have ADHD, when you let them have the devices, the video games, all that, their symptoms get much worse." (said at 1:23:18)

Systematic reviews and longitudinal studies (including prominent Dutch research by Valkenburg, Nikkelen, Boer, and colleagues) support the distinction made by the speaker. ADHD is a highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorder, and meta-analytic evidence indicates only a small overall correlation (r ≈ 0.12) between general media use and ADHD-related behaviors, with no evidence that screen or social media use creates ADHD de novo in children without underlying neurodevelopmental predisposition. Instead, research supports the Differential Susceptibility to Media effects Model, showing that children with pre-existing ADHD traits or problematic media use patterns are disproportionately susceptible to symptom exacerbation and compulsive engagement.

1:29:26unverifiedvery lowBrain Rot Emergency: These Internal Documents Prove They’re

Prefrontal cortex myelination continues until approximately age 25.

"But then the prefrontal cortex, which Aditi was talking about, which is so important for impulse control and executive function, that doesn't finish myelinating. Myelin is when the sort of the neuron thing that you get a sort of a fatty sheath, like an insulation that sort of locks down the circuits and makes them more efficient. Um, that doesn't stop until around age 25 is what we've always said for many years." (said at 1:29:26)

No published record matching the claim that prefrontal cortex myelination continues until approximately age 25 was located; this does not prove the claim false.

1:34:00unverifiedvery lowBrain Rot Emergency: These Internal Documents Prove They’re

Following the implementation of Australia's social media ban for underage children, tech companies complied by shutting down 5 million accounts belonging to Australia's 2.5 million underage children.

"All the companies complied. They shut down 5 million accounts for Australia's 2 and 1/2 million kids that were underage." (said at 1:34:00)

No published record matching the claim that tech companies complied by shutting down 5 million accounts belonging to Australia's 2.5 million underage children was located; this does not prove the claim false. Academic analyses of Australia's Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age Act 2024) note that the legislative framework provided a transition period leading into late 2025 with platform penalties of up to AUD $50 million, and early empirical studies evaluating adolescent social media access found that the vast majority of underage users continued to access social media platforms using their own accounts rather than experiencing complete platform-wide account shutdowns.

1:37:00unverifiedvery lowBrain Rot Emergency: These Internal Documents Prove They’re

The draft of the 1998 Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) originally proposed an age threshold of 16 before lobbying lowered it to 13.

"And the original law said, '16. Let's try 16.' ...1998, COPPA, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. So, but various lobbying, they pushed it down from 16 to 13, and they gutted enforcement." (said at 1:37:00)

No published record matching the claim that the draft of the 1998 Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) originally proposed an age threshold of 16 before lobbying lowered it to 13 was located; this does not prove the claim false.

1:38:35overstatedvery lowBrain Rot Emergency: These Internal Documents Prove They’re

AI companion chatbots have driven hundreds of thousands or millions of individuals into psychosis.

"They already have driven hundreds of thousands or millions of people into psychosis." (said at 1:38:35)

While published psychiatric literature and case reports document that interactions with conversational AI chatbots can validate, amplify, or precipitate delusional ideation and psychotic symptoms in vulnerable individuals (often described via mechanisms such as sycophancy, confabulation, or delusional feedback loops), there is no epidemiological evidence indicating that hundreds of thousands or millions of individuals have experienced chatbot-induced psychosis. Documented evidence to date is restricted to isolated case reports, small case series (such as syntheses examining around 35 reported instances), and scoping reviews of media narratives.

2:01:41supportedmoderateBrain Rot Emergency: These Internal Documents Prove They’re

Survey data shows agreement with the statement that life feels meaningless among high school seniors remained around 8% to 9% until spiking significantly starting around 2013.

"And the saddest one is the one my life feels meaningless. Um do you agree with that? Disagree with it? And the percent that agree, uh I think it's you know, something like 8% or 9% uh you know, agreed for the millennial generation. I think it's in chapter seven, the end of chapter seven. And then it's what's fairly flat and then all of a sudden we hit this period, the great re-wiring, 2010 to 2015. Uh so right around 2013 it goes way, way up." (said at 2:01:41)

Nationally representative survey data from the Monitoring the Future study of U.S. 12th-grade high school seniors support the claim. Studies analyzing these data show that depressive symptoms—measured using affective items including the belief that "Life often seems meaningless"—remained relatively low and stable across earlier birth cohorts before rising sharply starting around 2010 to 2012.

2:02:34supportedmoderateBrain Rot Emergency: These Internal Documents Prove They’re

Adolescents spend an average of 5 hours per day on social media and 8 to 10 hours per day on digital devices excluding schoolwork.

"5 hours a day is the average for social media, 8 to 10 on on devices not counting school, if all you're doing is just you're just consuming content, you are useless." (said at 2:02:34)

The speaker's figures closely reflect nationally representative survey findings on adolescent media habits in the United States. Major surveys show that U.S. teens spend an average of approximately 4.8 hours per day specifically on social media platforms (Gallup Youth Survey) and an average of 8 hours and 39 minutes per day on screen media for entertainment, excluding time spent on schoolwork or homework (Common Sense Media Census). Large population-based studies tracking child and adolescent media use similarly evaluate heavy recreational screen exposure in cohorts reaching 7 or more hours per day.

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