Social trap

A social trap happens when people make choices that are bad for everyone in the long run, even though they seem good in the short term. For example, if a bunch of kids in a park decide to ignore a poster asking them not to leave their trash on the ground, it might not matter much if each one just leaves one piece of trash. But if everyone does this, then soon the park will be full of trash and nobody will be able to use it anymore. That's a social trap - something that seems like a good idea in the short run but turns out to be bad for everyone if it goes on too long.