It has been revealed that individuals who abstained from using Facebook for a week reported a decrease in depression, anxiety, loneliness, and social comparison. However, instead of publishing the results, the company halted the project, citing that the data was 'influenced by the negative media narrative' surrounding Meta. Nevertheless, internal employees confirmed to then-Global Head of Public Policy, Nick Clegg, that the findings were accurate and represented causal evidence of the negative psychological impact of the platforms. According to unredacted court documents, as part of a class-action lawsuit filed by U.S. school districts, Meta concealed internal research after it showed 'causal' evidence linking the use of Facebook and Instagram to a decline in users' mental health. According to the documents, in 2020, Meta secretly conducted a research project named 'Project Mercury' in collaboration with the survey firm Nielsen to measure the impact of users ceasing to use its platforms. One individual stated that withholding the results is similar to what tobacco companies did when they hid evidence of the harm of cigarettes, according to japantimes.co.jp. The lawsuit alleges that despite possessing this research, the company told the U.S. Congress that it had no way to determine if its products were harming teenage girls. In an official statement, a Meta spokesperson, Andy Stone, said the study was stopped due to 'methodological flaws,' emphasizing that the company has been working for over a decade to improve user safety. He added, 'We listened to parents, studied important issues, and made real changes to protect teens.' These claims are part of a lawsuit filed by the law firm Motley Rice, which is suing Meta, along with Google, TikTok, and Snapchat, on behalf of dozens of school districts, accusing the companies of hiding risks they were aware of internally from users, parents, and educators. The accusations against Meta and its competitors include: encouraging minors under 13 to use the platforms, not taking seriously the issue of content related to child sexual exploitation, and attempting to increase teenagers' use of apps during school hours, as well as efforts to pay money to child-focused organizations to polish the image of digital safety. The documents provide an example of TikTok, which funded the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA), before internally boasting about its ability to influence the association's stance, with officials stating the association 'will do what we want in the fall... and will issue public statements on our behalf.' The most detailed accusations were against Meta and include: designing youth safety features to be weak and ineffective, and preventing the testing of new features for fear of impacting growth. Not deleting accounts of individuals involved in human trafficking until after 17 attempts, a figure described in internal documents as 'very high.' The company's knowledge that increased teen engagement meant exposure to more harmful content, yet it continued its engagement-boosting strategy regardless. Hindering for years efforts to stop predators from communicating with minors due to fears of slowing platform growth. A 2021 text message in which Mark Zuckerberg stated he did not consider child safety a 'top priority' as he was focused on 'building the metaverse,' and ignoring Nick Clegg's requests to increase safety budgets. In response to these accusations, a Meta spokesperson confirmed that the company's current policies require the immediate removal of any account reported in human trafficking cases and described safety efforts as 'broadly effective.' He stated that the lawsuit relies on 'out-of-context quotes and false opinions,' adding that the company requested the documents to be sealed because the plaintiffs are seeking to disclose material that 'goes beyond what is necessary.' A hearing on the case is scheduled for January 26 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
