Meta company halted Project Mercury research, which found a reduction in depression and anxiety among Facebook users after a week of being "offline." This became known from documents in court proceedings regarding the harm of social networks to teenagers.
The company that owns Facebook and Instagram has stopped research that presented evidence of psychological harm caused by its platforms to users. This is reported by UNN with reference to Reuters.
Details
The news agency refers to documents provided during court proceedings between Meta and US school districts regarding the harm of social networks to teenagers.
According to the documents, in 2020, Meta launched the Project Mercury research project. As part of the study, Facebook users were asked not to log into the social network for some time. After just one week offline, participants reported "lower levels of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and social pressure."
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Shortly after, the study was discontinued. However, instead of publishing them or conducting additional research, Meta canceled further work and told its employees that the negative results of the study were distorted by the "existing media narrative" around the company.
Instead, company spokesman Andy Stone rejected the accusations and added that Meta had worked diligently to improve the safety of its products.
"We strongly disagree with these accusations, which are based on selected quotes and misinformed opinions."
– Stone said.
He added that the lawsuit misrepresents the company's true intentions regarding the implementation of safety measures for teenagers and their parents, and described the company's safety measures as "largely effective."
Recall
Meta faced a lawsuit from adult film producers who claim the company illegally downloaded thousands of pornographic videos to train artificial intelligence models. Meta denies the allegations, claiming the content was intended for private use by employees.
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