(San Francisco) A class-action lawsuit filed by U.S. school districts against Meta and other social media platforms reveals that Meta halted internal research after finding causal evidence that its platforms Facebook and Instagram harmed users' mental health.
According to these unredacted documents obtained during the investigation, in a 2020 study codenamed "Project Mercury," Meta researchers collaborated with research firm Nielsen to assess the impact of stopping Facebook and Instagram use. The results showed that users who stopped using Facebook for a week reported reduced levels of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and social comparison.
Meta did not publish the research results or conduct further research, instead halting subsequent work and claiming internally that media coverage surrounding the company influenced the accuracy of the study.
However, Meta researchers privately told the company's then-head of global public policy that the research results were credible. One researcher compared the concealment of these findings to the tobacco industry's failure to disclose research showing the harmful effects of cigarettes.
Meta spokesperson Stone stated in a statement on Saturday (November 22) that the company halted the research due to methodological flaws.
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He emphasized that Meta has been working diligently to improve product safety. “The full record will demonstrate that for over a decade we have listened to parents, conducted research on critical issues, and taken concrete steps to protect teenagers.”
This lawsuit was filed by school districts across the United States against Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snapchat. The plaintiffs allege that these companies intentionally concealed known risks associated with their products.
The lawsuit documents allege that these companies condoned the use of their platforms by children under 13, failed to address the spread of child sexual abuse content, and attempted to encourage wider use of social media products among school-aged youth. The companies are also accused of attempting to bribe child-focused organizations to publicly defend the safety of their products.
A hearing on this case will be held in the Northern District of California on January 26th.
