On February 4, 2025, about 20 youth activists gathered outside Meta’s London offices to protest the company’s alleged exploitation of young users for profit, tarnishing their mental health in the process. With banners proclaiming “Meta profiting from our misery,” the group staged a “die-in” to illustrate how Meta’s business model harms mental well-being.
These activists, aged 18 to 30 and all having faced mental health challenges like PTSD, anxiety, and depression, coordinated this action through Just Treatment, a patient-led health justice organization. They launched the Mad Youth Organise (MYO) campaign to raise awareness about the corporate forces shaping the harsh realities faced by young people today.
As they protested, activists highlighted alarming issues, including cyberbullying, harmful content such as pro-suicide or self-harm material, and the adverse effects of constant exposure to unrealistic body images. They criticized the addictive algorithms that keep users engaged with damaging content. In the U.S., Meta currently faces lawsuits in 41 states over what’s described as addictive features in Instagram and Facebook.
Among the spokespersons, Gigi El-Halaby shared her personal experience, stating that social media contributed to her struggles with anorexia and depression, ultimately leading to a suicide attempt. “Social media isolates us,” she explained, stressing that it undermines real community connections essential for mental health.
The activists demand that the UK government hold social media companies accountable financially, urging them to contribute funds for mental health care for the many young people awaiting help. Gigi mentioned a proposed “social media tax” targeting these firms’ vast profits with the purpose of financing necessary mental health services.
Their demands extend beyond tech companies. They also call for accountability from property developers, fossil fuel companies, and private healthcare providers, all of whom they argue adversely impact young people’s living conditions.
The MYO’s “week of action” aligns with Children’s Mental Health Week, and it targets various organizations, including Priory Roehampton for subpar NHS care, the Home Builders Federation, and an undisclosed oil corporation.
In their manifesto, the MYO argues that discussions on mental health often focus too much on individual responsibility rather than the collective need for systemic change. They emphasize how young people have grown up under austerity measures, facing unstable jobs and housing, while dealing with the looming threat of climate change.
The manifesto criticizes big tech for profiting from young people’s struggles, describing their algorithms as tools for psychological manipulation, designed to deepen consumption and dependency. “To tackle the dangerous impacts of big tech, we must break their monopoly power,” they state.
Support for the campaign includes Labour MP Nadia Whittome, who highlights the clear connection between worsening young lives and the corporations profiting from these challenges. She emphasizes that businesses should be held accountable for the harm they inflict on young people.
Emma Hughes, from Just Treatment, echoed the need for regulation to dismantle the monopolistic power of tech firms. She pointed out that the lack of government accountability makes it difficult to implement effective regulations. While the UK’s Online Safety Act offers some relief, she believes it falls short of addressing the root causes of mental health crises, which are embedded in the business models of these companies.
Hughes also recounted a previous successful campaign that pressured a pharmaceutical company to lower drug prices by harnessing the collective voices of affected families and grassroots organizations. She expressed optimism that, with strategic and determined activism, change can happen, even against powerful corporate interests.