Khaberni - Unredacted documents in a class-action lawsuit filed by American educational districts against Meta and other social media platforms revealed that the company stopped an internal research on the effects of Facebook and Instagram on mental health, after finding causal evidence indicating that its products harm users' psychological health.
According to Meta documents unveiled during discovery proceedings, scientists at the company collaborated with Nielsen on a research project named "Project Mercury" in 2020 to measure the impact of deactivating Facebook and Instagram. The documents showed that the company was disappointed after it turned out that “people who stopped using Facebook for a week reported a decrease in feelings of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and social comparison”.
According to the lawsuit, instead of publishing these findings or continuing the research, the company halted work on the project and internally reported that the negative results were mixed with what it described as an “existing media narrative” about the company.
However, Meta employees privately assured Nick Clegg, then Head of Global Public Policy, that the study's findings were accurate. An employee, who asked not to be named, said that "the Nielsen study indeed shows a causal effect on social comparison." Another employee compared ignoring these findings to what tobacco companies do "who conduct research and know that cigarettes are harmful but keep the information to themselves."
The lawsuit also stated that despite possessing internal research documenting a causal relationship between its products and negative effects on mental health, Meta informed Congress it was unable to determine the extent of harm its products pose to young girls.
In a statement issued last Saturday, Andy Stone, a spokesperson for Meta, said that the study was halted due to "methodological flaws," affirming that the company is working hard to enhance the safety of its products. He added, "The full record will show that for over a decade, we listened to parents, researched the most important issues, and made real changes to protect minors."
The claim of Meta concealing evidence of social media harms is just one of several allegations made in a lawsuit filed last Friday by Motley Rice LLC on behalf of educational districts across the United States against Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snapchat. The lawsuit alleges that these companies deliberately concealed internally recognized risks from users, parents, and educators.
TikTok, Google, and Snapchat have not commented on the response requests.
The allegations against Meta and its competitors include accusations of implicitly allowing children under the age of 13 to use the platforms, failing to address content involving sexual assault on minors, and attempting to increase students' use of social media during the school day, alongside attempts to pay organizations concerned with children to publicly defend the safety of their products.
