The United States may finally be putting Big Tech on trial, but the damage is already global. As Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) faces antitrust litigation and lawsuits over the mental health crisis among children, Sri Lanka must pay close attention-not merely as an observer, but as a nation at risk of cultural dissolution through unchecked algorithmic exposure.
In the U.S., more than 40 states are suing Meta for designing addictive platforms that manipulate brain chemistry in children. Behind the legalese is a terrifying reality: young minds are being rewired for short-term dopamine hits, erasing their capacity for deep thought, emotional regulation, and stable identity. The case presents scientific evidence that infinite scrolling, algorithmic filters, and suggestive content are not accidental glitches-they are deliberate design choices that optimize engagement at the cost of a generation’s mental clarity.
Now pause, and consider this: if this is what a fully resourced, legally armed superpower is trying to counter, what about Sri Lanka?
We are a nation that has just begun to digitize its educational system, yet our children are already engulfed in a digital universe of Western content, sexualized imagery, and cultural alienation. The algorithms that shape their timelines are not built in Colombo. They are forged in Silicon Valley, calibrated to Western liberal values, and monetized through the destruction of tradition, attention span, and innocence.
This isn’t a debate about censorship. It is a fight for neurological sovereignty.
Our children are no longer raised by families-they are raised by feeds. TikTok, Instagram, YouTube-these platforms blur gender identity, commodify the female body, normalize disrespect toward elders, and turn every child into a content creator performing for validation. What emerges is not a citizen rooted in Lankan heritage, but a confused mimic of global trends. The algorithm is not just addictive. It is corrosive.
The real danger is subtle but irreversible: children exposed to hyper-stimulation from the age of five will not grow into the kind of adults who can preserve culture, think critically, or lead responsibly. We are manufacturing apathy-and outsourcing the blueprint to foreign tech giants.
This is no longer a matter of parental control or school discipline. It is a matter of national security. We regulate food safety, medicines, and textbooks-why not digital exposure?
The Meta lawsuits in the U.S. show that even the most powerful nations are now admitting the design of social media is predatory. If Sri Lanka fails to act now, we will not only lose our youth,
we will lose the continuity of who we are.
Let this be the line in the sand.
