The Heat is On...Meta (Part 1)

The Heat is On is an investigative series by Scrolling 2 Death, in partnership with Heat Initiative. Sarah Gardner, Founder and CEO of Heat Initiative, joins Nicki (S2D) to expose the truth Big Tech doesn’t want you to hear – and this episode is about Meta.

Meta’s roots reveal a troubling origin story—from Facemash, where students were rated based on their appearance, to becoming one of the most powerful (and dangerous) tech companies in the world, with over 3.3 billion daily users. Behind the sleek apps and promise for connection lies a history of harmful design choices that target young users—fueling anxiety, depression, eating disorders, self-harm, and even suicide.

In this episode, you’ll hear from former Meta executives and whistleblowers, cybercrime experts, and child-safety researchers who prove that the company knew how harmful its platforms were to kids—and did almost nothing to stop it.

Today, over 40 U.S. states, thousands of school districts, and countless families have taken legal action. And yet, Meta continues to push untested, potentially dangerous features—like their new AI chatbot—on teens without parental consent. Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation, weighs in to warn how these harms are reaching an industrial scale and legal action alone is not enough. We all need to work together to hold Big Tech accountable. 

It’s time to turn up the heat: ⁠Join our email list at https://www.scrolling2death.com/heat