Meta’s Alleged Cover-Up of Facebook Mental Health Research Unveiled in Court Documents
Recent court filings have exposed claims that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, concealed internal research linking social media use to mental health issues. According to the newly unredacted documents, Meta allegedly hid findings that showed users who stopped using Facebook for a week reported lower levels of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and social comparison. These documents were released during a long-running and high-profile lawsuit brought by U.S. school districts against several social media companies, which allege that their platforms have caused mental harm and addiction among children and teenagers.
The research, conducted in 2020, involved asking users to stop using Facebook for a period of time and comparing their mental health to a control group that kept using the platform. The internal communications revealed that the pilot tests confirmed the negative health impacts of Facebook use, but the company decided to halt the project, claiming that participants’ feedback was influenced by existing media narratives about the company. Despite these findings, the documents allege that Meta misled Congress about its awareness of the health risks.
Meta has faced intensified scrutiny in the U.S. in recent months. In October, the company announced new measures to protect teen accounts, allowing parents to disable communication with AI chatbots after earlier revelations that they could engage minors in romantic or sensual conversations. Additionally, the company has faced pressure from the U.S. 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 U.S. competition watchdog had not proven the company currently holds a monopoly, regardless of past power.