• by Steven Rosenbaum , Featured Contributor, February 17, 2025

Bradley Tusk's podcast “Firewall” often tackles thorny issues at the intersection of technology and society. In this episode, we explored an unlikely alliance that just might reshape the future of social media, featuring 22-year-old activist Emma Lembke.

Lembke’s story starts where millions of others do, with a 12-year-old girl downloading Instagram. "At first I thought social media was such an incredible magical gift," she recalls. "I thought it was going to connect me. I could express myself. I could be creative on it, which is all true in some regard. However, I was given it with no guardrails and no experience and no teacher."

What followed was a descent that feels eerily familiar to parents everywhere: "I was spending six hours a day on social media, scrolling mindlessly, constantly on. And I felt my self-worth decrease. As a young woman, I was fed content that was pro-dieting that led me towards disordered eating. Depression worsened."

When asked about what specific content affected her most, Lembke doesn't hesitate. "The algorithm quickly figured out I was interested in fitness content. What started as healthy workout videos rapidly turned into extreme dieting tips, 'what I eat in a day' videos showing barely 1,000 calories, and constant before-and-after transformations. It was relentless."

The wake-up call came through a moment of startling self-awareness. "I remember hearing a buzz of a notification and I reached to grab it and it was as if it was like a Pavlovian response. And I remember saying to myself, I'm like a dog. social media is completely controlling me and I have no agency whatsoever."

"What did your friends think when you started talking about these issues?" I asked her. Lembke laughed softly. "At first, they thought I was being dramatic. But when I started sharing the research I found, showing them how the algorithms work, how our data is being used -- that's when they started listening. Many of them had similar experiences but didn't know how to talk about it."

Rather than retreat, Lembke dove deep into research, "looking up everything from, ‘is social media bad’ to, you know, ‘what do algorithms do to amplify harmful content?’" What she found was revealing: "a plethora of information and growing academia surrounding the issue, but zero youth voices."

"Do you think social media can be fixed?" I asked her. Lembke considered this carefully. "I believe it can be transformed. We don't need to destroy it -- that's not realistic or even desirable. But we need real safeguards, real transparency about how algorithms work, and real power for users to control their experience. Right now, we're just along for the ride, and the companies are driving."

“The challenge is compounded by corporate incentives,” I noted. “It’s  profitable for Meta to not fix the problems that we know are existing problems. You could flip a switch and that problem would be solved. They're not going to do it.

"The technology exists to make these platforms safer,” Lembke agreed. “When I testified before Congress, I made this exact point. These companies choose profit over protection every time. And they're betting that Gen Z is too addicted to walk away. But they're wrong about that."

“Yet there's hope in the changing dynamics of how young people use social media,” I said. “The idea that Meta has this power of scale misunderstands what I hear from young people. They need to connect with their friends -- either the kids at their school or in their neighborhood -- but it's a much smaller footprint.”

"Young people are getting smarter about how they use these platforms,” said Lembke. “We're creating smaller communities, being more intentional about our time online. And most importantly, we're speaking up. When I started this work, I felt so alone. Now there's a whole movement of young people demanding change."

Looking forward, the path to make change isn't about eliminating social media but reimagining it, with young people as the architects of that future, supported by those who understand how systemic change happens.

Lembke's final thoughts resonate deeply: "We're the first generation to grow up with this technology, and we should be the ones helping to fix it. Not alone -- we need allies and expertise -- but our voices have to be at the center of this conversation. Because we lived it, we're living it, and we know exactly what needs to change."

Watch the full podcast here.