Meta shut down internal research into the mental health effects of Facebook and Instagram after finding causal evidence that its products harmed users' mental health

This is according to un-redacted filings in a class action by US school districts against Meta and other social media platforms.

In 2020, Meta worked with Nielsen to gauge the effect of "deactivating" Facebook and Instagram.

Meta documents obtained via discovery showed people who stopped using Facebook for a week reported lower feelings of depression, anxiety, loneliness and social comparison.

Rather than publishing those findings or pursuing additional research, Meta called off further work declared the study findings were tainted by the "existing media narrative" around the company.