On April 7, 2026, Her Campus hosted its Hard Reset: It’s Not You, It’s Them summit in partnership with Design It For Us at Michigan State University — bringing together activists, content creators, policymakers, and students to confront a growing, terrifying reality: Our relationship with Big Tech isn’t just complicated, it’s toxic. In a room that included MSU alum Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the message was undeniable — it’s time for an intervention.
For years, social platforms have operated with minimal guardrails, which has taken a real toll on young people’s self image and mental health. But internal documents and recent legal cases are pulling back the curtain. Reports have shown how quickly platforms can foster dependency, while others revealed staggering volumes of harmful interactions. The result? Gen Z has become what many call the “guinea pig generation” — the first to grow up fully embedded in this unregulated digital world. And now, with the help of organizations like Design It For Us — which has been fighting this fight for years, young people are leading the charge to fix it, not just for themselves, but for generations to come.
During her keynote address to a room full of young people and a virtual audience across the country, Gov. Whitmer addressed the responsibility and power Big Tech has. “For too long, the internet has operated with very few guardrails,” she said to young changemakers and press. “But thanks to all of you, we see that this trend is coming to a halt… These corporations are not an unstoppable force compared to the millions of engaged young people who are demanding better.”
That urgency was echoed by Zamaan Qureshi, a leading youth advocate in the tech accountability space and co-founder of Design It For Us, who pointed to recent legal wins as proof that change is no longer a “what if.” “We have been crying out as young people for a long time for accountability,” he said. “Now we’re seeing the first real measures… and the companies have to pay up.” These cases, he emphasized, are just the beginning of a broader reckoning for platforms that have long avoided responsibility.
Actor and activist Lexi Underwood brought the conversation into sharp focus on gender and safety, calling out the ways platforms disproportionately harm young women. “It’s not a glitch — it’s a choice,” she said. “If you allow tools to exploit and humiliate women and girls, you are not neutral — you are complicit.”
The event also included panels surrounding personal experiences with the harmful capabilities unregulated tech can present to young people, as well as how young people can create healthy boundaries online. Across every conversation, one thing was clear: this isn’t about logging off — it’s about demanding better.
Watch the full Hard Reset summit below to hear directly from the voices leading this movement, and check out Her Campus’s content series It’s Not You, It’s Them for more information about how you can join the fight for necessary change.