‘I always considered social media evil’: big tobacco whistleblower on tech’s addictive products

Jeffrey Stephen Wigand revealed how tobacco companies targeted children; now he sees similar marketing by big techA key whistleblower in the tobacco industry’s landmark trials of the 1990s has been watching big tech’s recent closely. Jeffrey Stephen Wigand, a biochemist who helped reveal how tobacco companies and hid just how addictive cigarettes were, has been struck with a feeling of familiarity. Last week’s that Meta and YouTube deliberately designed addictive products has only to the legal crackdown on big tobacco. Wigand sees it, too. His first thought, as he learned about the litigation in California, was that social media companies, through their advertisements, were trying to addict children – much like the tobacco industry did.A jury found and to be negligent last week. Plaintiffs’ lawyers relied heavily on internal documents and correspondence to demonstrate that company leadership dismissed concerns about how features of social media could be harmful. Meta was also found liable in a separate trial in , alleging that it had failed to prevent child sexual exploitation. These verdicts are the first time Meta has been found liable for how its products affect young people – after years of criticism, much of it from angry parents who feel social media harmed their children’s mental health.