Court filings allege Meta suppressed evidence linking platforms to mental harm

Recent revelations from newly unsealed United States (U.S.) court filings have intensified scrutiny on Meta Platforms, as documents suggest the tech giant halted internal research after discovering causal links between Facebook and Instagram use and negative mental health outcomes among users.

According to the filings, the concerns stem from a 2020 internal project known as “Project Mercury,” in which Meta (META.O) scientists partnered with survey firm Nielsen to assess the effects of users deactivating the two platforms. 

Meta’s own documents reportedly showed that “people who stopped using Facebook for a week reported lower feelings of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and social comparison.”

However, rather than publishing the findings or commissioning further investigation, Meta allegedly discontinued the research, internally blaming the “existing media narrative” for the negative outcomes. 

Despite this public dismissal, staff reportedly assured Nick Clegg, then Meta’s head of global public policy, that the results were sound.

According to Reuters, one unnamed researcher wrote that “the Nielsen study does show causal impact on social comparison (unhappy face emoji),” while another compared withholding such findings to the tobacco industry “doing research and knowing cigs were bad and then keeping that info to themselves.”

The lawsuit further claims that despite having documented evidence of harm, Meta told the U.S. Congress it could not determine whether its platforms were harmful to teenage girls.

On Saturday, Meta spokesperson, Andy Stone said the study was discontinued due to flawed methodology and insisted the company has made sustained efforts to improve user safety. 

“The full record will show that for over a decade, we have listened to parents, researched issues that matter most, and made real changes to protect teens,” he said.

Allegations against social media giants

The claims form part of a sweeping filing submitted late Friday by Motley Rice, the law firm representing U.S. school districts suing Meta, Google (GOOGL.O), TikTok, and Snapchat (SNAP.N). 

The plaintiffs allege the companies knowingly concealed risks associated with their platforms from parents, teachers, and young users.

TikTok, Google, and Snapchat did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Allegations against Meta include:

1. Designing youth safety features to be ineffective, and blocking tests that could hinder growth.

2. Requiring 17 attempts to traffic people for sex before removing offenders—described internally as “a very, very, very high strike threshold.”

3. Knowing that optimizing for teen engagement increased exposure to harmful content, but proceeding anyway.

4. Delaying efforts to curb child predators due to growth concerns, and urging safety staff to justify inaction.

5. Mark Zuckerberg, in a 2021 text message, reportedly stated that child safety was not his top priority compared to “building the metaverse,” while ignoring repeated funding requests from Nick Clegg.

Meta’s Stone disputed the claims, saying the suit mischaracterizes its policies and efforts. 

“We strongly disagree with these allegations, which rely on cherry-picked quotes and misinformed opinions,” he said, adding that Meta now removes accounts flagged for sex trafficking immediately.

The internal documents referenced in the filing remain sealed. Meta has filed a motion to strike them, arguing that the plaintiffs’ request for unsealing is overly broad.

A hearing on the matter is scheduled for January 26 at the Northern California District Court.

(Reuters)

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