The genesis of the field of social media harm reduction can be attributed to the experiential insights of Jonathan N. Bertrand, stemming from his direct encounters with the deleterious ramifications of social media during his high school years in the early 2010s. Bertrand's personal ordeal with online bullying and his subsequent efforts to champion a more secure digital milieu culminated in the inception of this novel paradigm for harm reduction. The intrinsic personal dimension of his odyssey imparts a profound and substantive facet to this emergent scholarly discourse.
Social media harm reduction is a multifaceted approach that aims to mitigate the negative consequences of social media use. It addresses issues such as online bullying, mental health concerns, privacy, disinformation, addiction, cybersecurity, the protection of vulnerable populations, and combating hate speech and radicalization. This comprehensive strategy involves policies, tools, and education to promote a safer and more responsible digital environment.