Tactical Tech

The Toxic Triangle

A unique look into young people's online experience on social media and the industry behind it.
Finding solutions to address the impact of social media on young people is currently at the top of the agenda. The Toxic Triangle project exists to help decision-makers navigate these challenges and seek effective solutions—ones that truly work, rather than temporary fixes like media bans or age verification.
When young people’s personal information and social lives meet attention-driven technologies, powered by a huge commercial market, a toxic triangle forms. These forces fuel each other, creating a self-reinforcing cycle that is difficult to break.
The Toxic Triangle is a 30–90-minute interactive experience that offers a unique opportunity to see inside the toxic triangle and take a deep-dive into the systems that drive it. Designed as a closed-door session for decision makers, foundations, journalists, and NGOs advocating for change, it provides an over-the-shoulder look into the experience of young people using AI and on social media. It provides a behind-the-scenes view on why the toxic triangle happens, it explores how the technologies work and how the system is monetised.

We are available to host the Toxic Triangle interactive experience to governments, policy-makers, funders, NGOs, technologists, investors, and the advertising industry, to provide them with a first-hand experience of the issues and to facilitate discussion on solutions.

Contact us to Host the experience

What is included in THE TOXIC TRIANGLE experience?

This three-dimensional perspective forms a critical base for thinking about possible solutions and strategies for response

  • 1. The Interactive Experience

    The journey starts with a firsthand experience that provides participants with an over-the-shoulder view of what young people are consuming, sharing, and influenced by. It brings issues to life by presenting examples, evidence, and behind-the-scenes insights. It offers six storylines representing young people's experiences on social media, followed by supporting information explaining how the algorithms work and how the system is monetised. Toxic Triangle storylines:

    • Thinosphere: What does happen after a week when a teen searches the term 'weight loss' on TikTok?

    • Manosphere: What does happen when a teen searches terms such as 'dating advice for boys', 'masculinity', and 'fitness'?

    • Sadness: What does happen after a week when a teen searches the term 'weight loss' on Instagram?

    • AI Cartoons:What does happen after a week when a teen searches the term 'kids cartoons' on TikTok?

    • AI Companions: This sequence explores the readily available and social media-integrated tools that offer users the ability to interact with AI-generated companions.

    • AI Deepfakes: This sequence explores various easily available and low-cost technologies that enable quick and easy generation of AI deepfakes.

  • 2. Faciliated discussion on solutions

    Decision-makers need to navigate a complex web of solutions with competing political, social, and economic interests on all sides of the debate. Our initiative helps decision-makers to find the right way for them.

    After exploring the interactive experience, participants will have the opportunity to engage in a facilitated discussion about potential solutions and response strategies.

    The Toxic Triangle experience is flexible and customizable. It can be part of an extended one-day workshop advancing the capacity and professional development of decision-makers.

  • 3. POP-UP EXHIBITION AND ACTION CARDS

    In addition to the online experience, we are offering action cards and a pop-up exhibition that can be used for large-scale meetings and conferences, and as a base for workshops.

    The posters take a deep dive into the three systems that govern the toxic triangle: the youth sphere, the attention machine and the marketplace. They give insights into the impact on entire generations of young people, how the technology is designed for addiction, how the system works, and ask who is responsible.

    The action cards are designed to provide on-hand information, research methods, findings, quotes, infographics, possible solutions, and strategies for response inspiring debate.

We are available to host the Toxic Triangle interactive experience to governments, policy-makers, funders, NGOs, technologists, investors, and the advertising industry, to provide them with a first-hand experience of the issues and to facilitate discussion on solutions.

Contact us to Host the experience