It's no wonder that social media has been a conduit for both mental health problems and misinformation, Acemoglu and Johnson write.
Given that banning social media isn't a viable option, they suggest a solution that hearkens back to the public health fight against smoking: taxes on digital advertising, which could encourage alternative business models.
A business model that incentivizes grabbing and keeping people's attention at all costs fuels a mental health crisis, particularly among children.
Business models promoting emotionally charged material can lead to extremism and violence, evidenced by Facebook's role in organizing genocides against minority populations.
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