Meta’s parent company allegedly concealed internal research that found Facebook use correlated with depression and anxiety, according to recently unredacted court filings. The documents, part of a long-running lawsuit by US school districts, reveal that Meta’s own experiments showed users who stopped Facebook reported lower levels of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. However, the company reportedly halted the study and lied to Congress about its findings.
The court filings allege that rather than investigate further or sound the alarm, Meta claimed that participants’ feedback was biased by the existing media narrative around the company. Despite these findings, the company has faced increased scrutiny in the US in recent months. In October, Meta announced new safeguards for teen accounts, allowing parents to disable communication with its AI chatbots, following earlier revelations of potential inappropriate interactions with minors. The company also faces pressure from the US Federal Trade Commission, which accused it of holding a monopoly in social networking.
However, last week a Washington district court ruled in Meta’s favor in the antitrust lawsuit, stating that the US competition watchdog had not proven that the company currently holds a monopoly, “whether or not Meta enjoyed monopoly power in the past.” The ruling highlights the ongoing legal battles and regulatory challenges facing the tech giant as it continues to navigate public and governmental scrutiny.