Meta Suppressed Findings Linking Facebook Use to Mental Health Issues
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is accused of concealing internal research that found a correlation between social media usage and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Newly revealed court filings, part of a lawsuit by US school districts, claim that Meta halted a 2020 study after discovering that users who deactivated their accounts reported lower levels of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and social comparison.
The documents allege that instead of investigating further or raising concerns, Meta dismissed the findings, citing bias from media narratives, and misled Congress about its awareness of the potential harm. This comes amid increased scrutiny of Meta in the US, with the company facing pressure from the US Federal Trade Commission over its monopoly status in social networking.
In October, Meta announced new safeguards for its “teen accounts,” allowing parents to disable children’s communications with AI chatbots, following earlier revelations that they could engage minors in romantic or sensual conversations. Despite these measures, a recent Washington district court ruling favored Meta in its antitrust lawsuit, stating the FTC had not proven the company currently holds a monopoly, “whether or not Meta enjoyed monopoly power in the past.”
The case has sparked concerns about corporate transparency and the responsibility of tech giants in protecting user mental health. As the legal battle continues, the outcome could set important precedents for how companies handle internal research related to product impact on users.