Justice Dept. Sues Apple + Smartphones and Children with Jonathan Haidt + Reddit’s IPO
3Description
This week, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Apple, saying the company holds a monopoly over the smartphone market. We break down the lawsuit and ask whether it will be a major turning point in Apple’s dominance. Then, Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist, argues that smartphones and social media are the cause of widespread increases in mental health issues among young people. He tells us his four potential solutions to the problem. And finally, Reddit’s market capitalization hit $9.2 billion when it debuted on the New York Stock Exchange this week, but the company still isn’t making money. We talk about the challenges Reddit faces as it goes public, and how the site may change as a result.
Today’s guest:
- Jonathan Haidt, author of “The Anxious Generation”
Additional Reading:
- U.S. Sues Apple, Accusing It of Maintaining an iPhone Monopoly
- End the Phone-Based Childhood Now
- Reddit’s I.P.O. Is a Content Moderation Success Story
We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok.
United States
Really obnoxious to me to hear the way Kevin Roose tried to push back on Haidt by acting like 'well, I used the Internet & I turned out ok- I learned how to manage the freedom of it'. Such a lazy position to take since it's not comparing the same things: Haidt is specifically focused on social media accounts, not the Internet.
Finally someone says the sane thing: what we let platforms do to kids is insane. I'm in favor of standardizing restrictions for children on social media & smartphones.