Newly unsealed U.S. court documents reveal that Meta shut down an internal study after early findings showed Facebook users experienced “lower feelings of depression, anxiety, loneliness and social comparison” when they deactivated the platform.
According to newly unsealed U.S. court filings, Meta halted an internal research project known as Project Mercury after early results showed that people who deactivated Facebook for one week reported “lower feelings of depression, anxiety, loneliness and social comparison.”
The documents allege Meta buried the findings, with one researcher admitting, “The Nielsen study does show causal impact on social comparison,” and another comparing the situation to the tobacco industry hiding harmful evidence. Attorneys claim that despite these results, Meta later told Congress it had no data proving its platforms harmed teens, while spokesman Andy Stone argued the study was stopped because “its methodology was flawed” and accused critics of using “cherry-picked quotes and misinformed opinions.”
The allegations form part of a broader lawsuit accusing Meta, Google, TikTok and Snapchat of ignoring the dangers their platforms pose to children.