Excessive social media use bad for kids, says Elon Musk

NEW DELHI — Calling out the negative effects of social media, tech billionaire Elon Musk on Friday said that its excessive usage may be bad for children.

“A lot of social media is bad for kids,” he said in a post on X.com.

Addressing the recent VivaTech fair in Paris virtually, Musk stressed the importance of regulating children’s exposure to these platforms.

He noted that children are particularly vulnerable to sophisticated AI algorithms that boost user engagement by maximising dopamine levels.

Musk “urged parents to limit the amount of social media that children can see.”

“There is extreme competition between social media AIs to maximise dopamine!”

Last year, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO — a father to nine kids — noted that he never restricted his kids’ social media use, and it might have been a mistake.

“They have been programmed by Reddit and YouTube. I would limit social media a bit more than in the past and watch what they are watching,” he had said.

He has also criticised Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, stating that these platforms have facilitated child exploitation through their tools.