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arXiv · 2503.10458

Social Media Harm Abatement: Mechanisms for Transparent Public Health Assessment

Nathaniel Lubin·Yuning Liu·Amanda Yarnell·S. Bryn Austin·Zachary J. Ward·Ravi Iyer·Jonathan Stray·Matthew Lawrence·Alissa Cooper·Peter Chapman
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Abstract

Social media platforms have been accused of causing a range of harms, resulting in dozens of lawsuits across jurisdictions. These lawsuits are situated within the context of a long history of American product safety litigation, suggesting opportunities for remediation outside of financial compensation. Anticipating that at least some of these cases may be successful and/or lead to settlements, this article outlines an implementable mechanism for an abatement and/or settlement plan capable of mitigating abuse. The paper describes the requirements of such a mechanism, implications for privacy and oversight, and tradeoffs that such a procedure would entail. The mechanism is framed to operate at the intersection of legal procedure, standards for transparent public health assessment, and the practical requirements of modern technology products.

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Nathaniel Lubin, Yuning Liu, Amanda Yarnell, S. Bryn Austin, Zachary J. Ward, Ravi Iyer, Jonathan Stray, Matthew Lawrence, Alissa Cooper, Peter Chapman. 2025-03-13. Social Media Harm Abatement: Mechanisms for Transparent Public Health Assessment. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.15345

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