John Abraham, a professor at the University of St. Thomas, joined WCCO Radio to discuss current emerging issues, including recent lawsuits against social media companies, the growing risks tied to artificial intelligence and the environmental impact of data centers. Abraham highlighted concerns about the addictive design of social platforms and the challenges of regulating rapidly advancing technologies, while also addressing broader topics such as energy use, workforce impacts and climate-related pressures on insurance systems.
From the conversation:
Adam Carter: Now for two consecutive days, we’ve seen massive lawsuits against social media companies go in favor of the plaintiffs. One involved a young woman in California, and many people are calling this the “tobacco moment,” where there’s pushback against social media and the damage it’s doing. We often say it affects kids, but honestly, it might be all of us.
From your perspective, are we overstating it to compare this to the tobacco industry?
Abraham: That’s a tough comparison. With tobacco, there was clear physical harm, and companies spent decades trying to sow doubt about that harm.
In this case, the lawsuit involved Meta and YouTube and focused on how addictive these platforms are. These companies have psychologists who design their products to keep people engaged. It’s all about how many minutes you spend on them.
I love YouTube. It’s an amazing platform. But it is also addictive.
There’s a real question here about where we draw the line. I tend to believe people should have the freedom to do what they want, as long as they’re not hurting others. But when it comes to kids, they don’t always have the perspective to manage these tools.
There’s clinical evidence that these platforms are addictive, and they’re designed that way. So now you’re balancing personal freedom, corporate freedom, and real harm.
Carter: And that’s what makes this moment feel different.
