Facebook is a harmful presence in our lives. It’s not too late to pull the plug on it

The social media giant has downplayed findings that using Instagram can have significant impacts on the mental health of teenage girls

Frances Haugen said at the weekend: “Facebook, over and over again, has shown it chooses profit over safety. Picture: AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Facebook is in perpetual crisis mode. For years now, the company has confronted waves of critical scrutiny on issues caused or exacerbated by the platform. Recent revelations have lengthened the charge sheet.

That list includes the mass data collection and privacy invasion by Cambridge Analytica; the accusations of Russian interference during the 2016 presidential election; unrestrained hate speech, inciting, among other things, genocide in Myanmar; the viral spread of disinformation about the coronavirus and vaccines, with Joe Biden proclaiming about Facebook and other social media platforms: “They’re killing people”.