Meta Accused of Hiding Internal Research Finding That Facebook and Instagram Harm Users’ Mental Health; Company Responds

Meta reportedly accused of shutting down internal research into how Facebook and Instagram affect user’s mental health.  As per the filings in a class-action lawsuit by US school districts against Meta and other social media companies, internal research found "casual" evidence that Facebook and Instagram had a negative impact on user’s mental health. As per a report of Reuters, the Facebook parent company had carried out a 2020 research project called “Project Mercury”, where Meta scientists and survey firm Nielsen examined the effects of users deactivating the apps for a week. Internal documents allegedly showed that people who stopped using Facebook reported “lower feelings of depression, anxiety, loneliness and social comparison.” Instead of expanding the research or sharing the findings, Meta reportedly ended the work. The filing reportedly states that the study’s negative outcome led to the project being closed. Mark Zuckerberg-run Meta has responded and denied the allegations. As per a report of The Times of India, Meta spokesman Andy Stone stated that the study was discontinued as its methodology was flawed. Stone emphasised that the company works diligently to enhance the safety of its products. ‘Misleading’: Google Denies Claims of Using Gmail Data To Train Gemini AI Model, Says ‘We Are Always Transparent’ About Policy Changes.

Meta Shut Down Internal Research

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