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Awareness in Action: “The Social Dilemma”, from a film to a global movement for change
Netflix documentary “The Social Dilemma” pulls back the curtain on how dangerous social media design manipulates our psychologies, creating a ripple effect across our mental health, our relationships, and our understanding of reality. Featuring CHT’s core analysis on the race for user attention, “The Social Dilemma” sparked a global conversation around the influence of social media and engagement-based design — with impact that continues to this day.
- Overview of the Documentary
- How “The Social Dilemma” Moved the Needle
- Why This Case Matters
Overview of the Documentary
In 2018, director Jeff Orlowski began his collaboration with CHT co-founder Tristan Harris and CHT on an urgent new documentary — “The Social Dilemma.” The goal of the collaboration was to craft a docudrama that revealed the invisible forces — and manipulative design choices — that lead to harmful outcomes with social media.
“The Social Dilemma” debuted on Netflix in September 2020 to rave reviews. The documentary drove a new cultural zeitgeist around social media harms, and became a viral phenomenon. Its popularity led to countless news segments, with CHT voices and thinking featured on programs including “All in with Chris Hayes,” “The Daily Show,” “Real Time with Bill Maher,” and “The Joe Rogan Experience.” The growing discourse even led Facebook to release a statement on the film, and spurred new debate among industry insiders around design practices. “The Social Dilemma” went on to be nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards, and win two.
As of 2025, “The Social Dilemma” has reached 100+ million viewers in 190 countries, and is cited as essential viewing in understanding how manipulative design impacts individuals and society at large.
How “The Social Dilemma” Moved the Needle
“The Social Dilemma” laid the cultural groundwork for high-impact legal action. In 2023, 42 state Attorneys General filed a lawsuit against Meta for knowingly designing addictive features that harm children. The AGs directly cited “The Social Dilemma” as a catalyst for the suit. As of 2025, the lawsuit is ongoing.
From age-appropriate design codes to social media bans at schools, “The Social Dilemma” is routinely referenced as a motivating factor in policy changes at the state and local level.
“The Social Dilemma” has activated organizers at the grassroots and grasstops level, including the Parents for Safe Online Spaces (SOS) and TK.
The documentary helped spur the ongoing multidistrict litigation (MDL) against social media giants Meta, Google, ByteDance, and Snap. A combination of plaintiff and school district lawsuits, the MDL alleges that social media is designed to be addictive, especially for young users.
“The Social Dilemma” continues to be cited in policy circles as key educational material in understanding how manipulative tech design and engagement-based business models influence individuals and society.
