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Meta Hid Study Linking Facebook to Anxiety
25 Nov
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.

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.




