Did Meta know Facebook was bad for teens?

Yes, internal research allegedly conducted by Meta in 2020 indicated that users reported lower feelings of depression and anxiety when they stopped using Facebook.

What did Meta do with their research on Facebook's negative effects?

According to court filings, Meta allegedly halted its research into the negative mental health impacts of Facebook and did not further investigate or publicize the findings.

Is Meta being sued over its social media platforms?

Yes, Meta is facing a lawsuit from US school districts alleging that their social media platforms have caused mental harm and addiction among children and teenagers.

Home / Health / Meta Hid Study Linking Facebook to Anxiety

Meta Hid Study Linking Facebook to Anxiety

25 Nov

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Summary

Meta allegedly concealed internal research linking Facebook use to depression.
A 2020 study by Meta found reduced depression and anxiety when users quit Facebook.
Filings claim Meta misled Congress about its knowledge of negative impacts.

Meta Hid Study Linking Facebook to Anxiety

Recently unredacted court filings allege that Meta, Facebook's parent company, concealed internal research indicating that its social media platform is linked to depression and anxiety. These documents surfaced as part of a lawsuit by US school districts accusing social media firms of causing mental harm and addiction in minors.

The filings detail a 2020 Meta study where participants who deactivated Facebook for a week reported significantly lower feelings of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. However, the company allegedly halted the project, citing bias in participant feedback due to existing negative media narratives, rather than pursuing the concerning results.

Furthermore, the court documents claim that Meta knowingly misled Congress regarding its awareness of the causal relationship between Facebook usage and adverse mental health effects. This comes amid broader scrutiny of the company, including recent measures to enhance teen account safeguards and ongoing antitrust investigations by the US Federal Trade Commission.

Disclaimer: This story has been auto-aggregated and auto-summarised by a computer program. This story has not been edited or created by the Feedzop team.