1. Facebook / Instagram / Meta Ecosystem
Why they suck in 2025:
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Privacy Risks & Data Harvesting: According to privacy rankings by Incogni, Meta’s platforms (Facebook, Instagram) remain among the worst offenders. blog.incogni.com+2Gizchina+2
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Regulatory Trouble: Meta has been accused of breaching EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) by making it difficult to report illegal content, because of “dark patterns” in its UI. Гардиан+1
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User Safety: GLAAD’s report for 2025 argues that Meta platforms have rolled back protections for LGBTQ+ users. AP News+1
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Algorithmic Addiction: Big tech (including Meta) is increasingly accused of designing platforms to be addictive, leveraging persuasive design and algorithmic “dark design” to keep users glued. arXiv
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Mental Health Toll: Many users say Instagram (and similar Meta platforms) promote performative posting, FOMO, self-esteem issues, and mental health stress. Reddit+1
Takeaway: Meta’s social media remains a heavyweight, but with heavy baggage — invasive data practices, questionable moderation, and design that often prioritizes engagement over user well‑being.
2. TikTok
Major Problems:
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Privacy & Data Use: TikTok scores very poorly in privacy‑oriented rankings. Kaspersky’s 2025 privacy rating puts TikTok near the bottom, meaning it collects a lot of user data and has fewer privacy safeguards. kaspersky.ru+1
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Addictive Design: TikTok’s short-form video algorithm is repeatedly criticized for being addictive, manipulating engagement, and creating unhealthy usage loops. The Niche Guru
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Inconsistent Moderation: Some reports suggest that TikTok’s content moderation is unreliable or uneven, depending on regions or languages. LinkedIn
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Safety Concerns: According to GLAAD, while TikTok scored better than some platforms, there are still serious concerns around targeted content and moderation affecting vulnerable groups. AP News
Takeaway: TikTok’s addictive, data-hungry algorithm makes it a double-edged sword: highly entertaining but deeply invasive and potentially harmful.
3. X (formerly Twitter)
What’s Wrong:
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Moderation Rollbacks: Since its rebranding to X, many content moderation policies have been relaxed. This has led to increased harassment, hate speech, and misinformation. LinkedIn
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Privacy Issues: According to Incogni, X is also criticized for extensive data collection and for allowing user data to be used in AI training. TechRadar
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Toxic Environment: Many users say X has become more toxic over time, with reduced safeguards and higher exposure to extremism or disinformation. Гардиан
Takeaway: X is increasingly viewed as a wild west — less moderation, more data exploitation, and a more toxic user base for some.
4. General Systemic Problems Across Big Social Media
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Algorithmic Addiction by Design: Research shows that major social media companies use design tricks to keep users hooked — dark patterns, persuasive UI, and recommendation algorithms tuned for maximum engagement. arXiv
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Privacy & AI Training: Many platforms are using user content (posts, photos, messages) to train AI models without users’ clear consent or meaningful opt-out. blog.incogni.com
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Loneliness Epidemic: According to recent research, lonely people show particularly unhealthy usage patterns on social media — more frequent, but shorter sessions, plus deeper engagement with visual and messaging platforms. arXiv
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Fake Moderation & Transparency Failures: Many platforms claim to moderate harmful content, but critics argue that real enforcement is weak, inconsistent, or publicly opaque. LinkedIn
Verdict: Which Social Media Are the “Most Toxic” in 2025
Putting it all together, Meta (Facebook/Instagram) and TikTok come out as the worst in 2025, when judged by a mix of privacy risk, harmful design, moderation failure, and mental health damage. X is also a major concern, especially for its content moderation and data policies.
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