Reports published on October 28 and 29, 2026, describe Meta meeting notes from March 2023 that discussed turning academics against social psychologist Jonathan Haidt. The Guardian and The Verge say it remains unclear whether Meta acted on the ideas.
What the March 2023 notes discussed
The Verge reported separate March 7 and March 8 headings in notes cited in U.S. school-district litigation against Meta. The Guardian reported that the March 8 passage attributed a goal of getting academics to disavow Haidt to Curtiss Cobb, then Meta’s vice president of research. The notes also described a “below-the-line” approach, contrasting it with a loud public strategy and discussing the media’s view of Haidt’s credibility.
The notes predated Haidt’s 2024 book, The Anxious Generation. The Verge described the notes as containing shorthand and typos that may reflect initial ideas rather than a fully formed plan.
What Andrew Gelman says about “Gellman”
The reports do not identify who “Gellman” refers to. Andrew Gelman says Facebook or Meta never contacted him about Haidt or his work.
Gelman also says Facebook gave him a $25,000 research donation through Columbia University in 2016 and funded a computer-science PhD student’s project in 2020. He says neither involved social media’s impact on teen health.
Haidt’s response and the wider academic debate
Haidt told The Verge he was not surprised by the reported discussion and characterized it as an effort to discredit him. The Verge also reported that academics have criticized Haidt’s conclusions about social media and adolescent mental health; the notes do not show that this broader criticism was coordinated by Meta.
