Ledger of Harms

The companies that created social media and consumer-facing mobile tech have benefited our lives enormously. But even with the best intentions, these companies are under pressure from shareholders to prioritize product usage and growth, which can create invisible harms in society.

This Ledger collects those negative impacts of social media and mobile tech that do not show up on the balance sheets of companies, but on the balance sheet of society.

We evaluate the information we receive before we publish it here, including a methodological review of all the statistical studies we include. Not everything passes our review process, which is focused on methodology.

The data below comes from peer-reviewed academic studies, as well as non-peer reviewed studies; academic conference proceedings; industry sources; and books and journalism from widely trusted public outlets.

This is a work in progress. We hope it will guide future research and coverage of these issues, and we welcome your feedback on how to improve it.

To learn more about this positive initiative, click here: https://ledger.humanetech.com/

The Ledger of Harms is prepared by the Center for Humane Technology in partnership with Omidyar Network, the J.W. Couch Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Common Sense.