Someone sent me this Hansard record of the MP moral panic about Space invaders from 1981 “the increasingly harmful effects on young people of addiction to "space invader" machines. Since then, I have seen reports from all over the country of young people becoming so addicted to these machines that they resort to theft, blackmail and vice to obtain money to satisfy their addiction.” https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1981-05-20/debates/f983574e-4775-427c-a6de-7448e56f49ad/ControlOfSpaceInvadersAndOtherElectronicGames #gaming #onlinesafety #addiction

Someone sent me this Hansard record of the MP moral panic about Space invaders from 1981 “the increasingly harmful effects on young people of addiction to "space invader" machines. Since then, I have seen reports from all over the country of young people becoming so addicted to these machines that they resort to theft, blackmail and vice to obtain money to satisfy their addiction.” https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1981-05-20/debates/f983574e-4775-427c-a6de-7448e56f49ad/ControlOfSpaceInvadersAndOtherElectronicGames #gaming #onlinesafety #addiction

The documents provide smoking-gun evidence that Meta, Google, Snap, and TikTok all purposefully designed their social media products to addict children and teens with no regard for known harms to their wellbeing, and how that mass youth addiction was core to the companies’ business models. The documents contain internal discussions among company employees, presentations from internal meetings, expert testimony, and evidence of Big Tech coordination with tech-funded groups, including the National Parent Teachers Association (PTA) and Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), in attempts to control the narrative in response to concerned parents.

“These unsealed documents prove Big Tech has been gaslighting and lying to the public for years

The documents provide smoking-gun evidence that Meta, Google, Snap, and TikTok all purposefully designed their social media products to addict children and teens with no regard for known harms to their wellbeing, and how that mass youth addiction was core to the companies’ business models. The documents contain internal discussions among company employees, presentations from internal meetings, expert testimony, and evidence of Big Tech coordination with tech-funded groups, including the National Parent Teachers Association (PTA) and Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), in attempts to control the narrative in response to concerned parents.

“These unsealed documents prove Big Tech has been gaslighting and lying to the public for years

TikTok is moving to settle a lawsuit with a woman who alleged that the company and other social media giants designed their platforms to addict young users, the first such case to go to trial. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/28/tiktok-snap-youth-addiction-suit/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #tiktok #snap #socialmedia #apps #children #addiction #mentalhealth

Last week, the Trump administration cancelled >$2B in mental health + addiction treatment funds. Only massive, rapid pushback caused them to reverse the decision.

But these programs remain at risk. So Grant Witness is now tracking SAMHSA
grants. What found so far:

https://grant-witness.us/posts/2026-01-16_samhsa-jan-terminations/

#PublicHealth #MentalHealth #Addiction #SAMHSA

Last week, the Trump administration cancelled >$2B in mental health + addiction treatment funds. Only massive, rapid pushback caused them to reverse the decision.

But these programs remain at risk. So Grant Witness is now tracking SAMHSA
grants. What found so far:

https://grant-witness.us/posts/2026-01-16_samhsa-jan-terminations/

#PublicHealth #MentalHealth #Addiction #SAMHSA

😬

WSJ: Tech Startups Are Handing Out Free Nicotine Pouches to Boost Productivity (Dec 30, 2025)

"...Earlier this year, two nicotine startups—*** and ***—made branded vending machines filled with flavored products for analytics company Palantir Technologies. Both machines are in the company’s Washington, D.C., offices. The pouches are free for employees and guests over the age of 21, a spokeswoman for Palantir said. Palantir pays to stock the nicotine products...."

https://www.wsj.com/tech/tech-startups-are-handing-out-free-nicotine-pouches-to-boost-productivity-e42d3cbe?st=ZoF6oB&reflink=article_copyURL_share

#addiction #startups #palantir

😬

WSJ: Tech Startups Are Handing Out Free Nicotine Pouches to Boost Productivity (Dec 30, 2025)

"...Earlier this year, two nicotine startups—*** and ***—made branded vending machines filled with flavored products for analytics company Palantir Technologies. Both machines are in the company’s Washington, D.C., offices. The pouches are free for employees and guests over the age of 21, a spokeswoman for Palantir said. Palantir pays to stock the nicotine products...."

https://www.wsj.com/tech/tech-startups-are-handing-out-free-nicotine-pouches-to-boost-productivity-e42d3cbe?st=ZoF6oB&reflink=article_copyURL_share

#addiction #startups #palantir

🌅 Personal Share: #Sobriety—The Unmerited #Gift

For a long time, I couldn’t make it 24 hours.

My 11 years of #recovery haven’t been a straight line. I’ve relapsed after 3 years, after 1 year… I’ve had stretches where I felt completely hopeless—fighting both #addiction and clinical #depression.

➡️If you’re struggling this #holiday season, please don’t wait.
You are not alone.

📞 988 is the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline ( #Veterans, press 1)
🏳️‍🌈 #LGBTQ+ youth: Call The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386

🚫not asking for advice🚫

I'm going to try and stop watching short-form content online.

I gave up watching tiktok a number of months ago, and now it's time for Reels and YouTube Shorts to go as well.

I have a theory that they trigger the same areas of the brain that gambling lights up.. and it's not so much about the watching, but about swiping to see if you ✨win✨ by finding something fun. I noticed that I'd be watching something I was enjoying and just swipe anyways to see if the next clip was ✨better✨, which feels like classic gambling behaviours.

#addiction #gambling #tiktok #YouTube #tech #technology #SocialMedia

Exceptional coverage by @newyorktimes on the intersection of crypto, gambling, influencers, and teens. To quote the lede:

“David was 14 when he placed his first bet with a crypto casino, a website where people use cryptocurrencies to gamble on online games.

Stuck at home during the pandemic, he started spending more time on the sites. He watched as celebrities, like Drake and the livestreamer Adin Ross, played on the casinos, too. Social media personalities collected huge paydays for streaming more and more videos hyping the sites.

David, meanwhile, developed a gambling addiction before he turned 18 and lost thousands of dollars.”

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/12/09/us/crypto-casinos-gambling-streamers.html

#Journalism #investigation #News #Economy #economics #Addiction #report #society #SocialMedia

🚫not asking for advice🚫

I'm going to try and stop watching short-form content online.

I gave up watching tiktok a number of months ago, and now it's time for Reels and YouTube Shorts to go as well.

I have a theory that they trigger the same areas of the brain that gambling lights up.. and it's not so much about the watching, but about swiping to see if you ✨win✨ by finding something fun. I noticed that I'd be watching something I was enjoying and just swipe anyways to see if the next clip was ✨better✨, which feels like classic gambling behaviours.

#addiction #gambling #tiktok #YouTube #tech #technology #SocialMedia

Exceptional coverage by @newyorktimes on the intersection of crypto, gambling, influencers, and teens. To quote the lede:

“David was 14 when he placed his first bet with a crypto casino, a website where people use cryptocurrencies to gamble on online games.

Stuck at home during the pandemic, he started spending more time on the sites. He watched as celebrities, like Drake and the livestreamer Adin Ross, played on the casinos, too. Social media personalities collected huge paydays for streaming more and more videos hyping the sites.

David, meanwhile, developed a gambling addiction before he turned 18 and lost thousands of dollars.”

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/12/09/us/crypto-casinos-gambling-streamers.html

#Journalism #investigation #News #Economy #economics #Addiction #report #society #SocialMedia

Big Tech is Betting on Gambling and Scams

Presented by Voidzilla

#gambling #addiction #corruption #capitalism #socialism #video #fyp #tech #siliconvalley #activism #billionaires #oligarch #distopian

Big Tech is Betting on Gambling and Scams

Presented by Voidzilla

#gambling #addiction #corruption #capitalism #socialism #video #fyp #tech #siliconvalley #activism #billionaires #oligarch #distopian

Again, I finished "Drystone: A Life Rebuilt" by Kristie De Garis @kristiedegaris. In this inspiring memoir, she rebuilds her life like she rebuilds a wall as a dry-stone waller: each stone carefully placed. Heartbreaking yet courageous, her sincerity makes the book both painful and hopeful.

None of us are too broken to begin again. Rebuilding is possible, even late in life. Sometimes the most radical act is simply telling the truth about who we are.

#books #ADHD #racism #addiction