Facebook (now known as Meta) CEO Mark Zuckerberg often overruled senior executives’ proposals aimed at improving the mental health of teenagers on Facebook and Instagram, according to internal documents revealed as part of a lawsuit against the company.
CNN reports that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg repeatedly shut down initiatives designed to enhance the mental health of teenagers using Facebook and Instagram. These decisions, often made against the advice of his senior lieutenants, have raised serious concerns about the company’s commitment to user well-being.
Mark Zuckerberg surrounded by guards ( Chip Somodevilla /Getty)
Zuckerberg’s troubling management direction was exposed by unsealed communications from an ongoing lawsuit against Facebook over its addictive features aimed at teenagers. As Breitbart News previously reported:
In one lawsuit, 33 states accuse Meta of knowingly designing Facebook and Instagram features that addict children and teens to the platforms. In addition to the 33 states, nine other attorneys general are filing suits in their states, bringing the total number of states taking action against Meta to 42, according to a report by Associated Press.
The complaint, filed against Meta Platforms Inc. in federal court in California, claims the company consistently collects data on children under 13 years of age, without their parents’ consent, which is a violation of federal law. It also accuses the tech giant of damaging young people’s mental health and contributing to the youth mental health crisis.
The documents have brought to light Zuckerberg’s significant influence over decisions impacting billions of users. His approach has occasionally led to internal tensions, with some officials advocating for enhanced measures to protect user well-being.
One of the most notable instances involved Zuckerberg’s veto of a 2019 proposal to disable Instagram’s “beauty filters.” These filters, which digitally alter a user’s appearance, have been criticized for promoting unrealistic body image standards and potentially harming teens’ mental health. Despite broad support for the proposal from top executives, including Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri and President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg, Zuckerberg dismissed the concerns. He argued that there was a demand for these filters and claimed a lack of data showing their harmful effects.
Despite Zuckerberg’s claims that the company lacked data on harmful effects, internal documents have made it clear that the Masters of the Universe know that Instagram is toxic for teen girls.
The Wall Street Journal reported:
“Thirty-two percent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse,” the researchers said in a March 2020 slide presentation posted to Facebook’s internal message board, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. “Comparisons on Instagram can change how young women view and describe themselves.”
…
“We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls,” said one slide from 2019, summarizing research about teen girls who experience the issues.
“Teens blame Instagram for increases in the rate of anxiety and depression,” said another slide. “This reaction was unprompted and consistent across all groups.”
Among teens who reported suicidal thoughts, 13% of British users and 6% of American users traced the desire to kill themselves to Instagram, one presentation showed.
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone responded to the allegations, emphasizing that such image filters are common across social media platforms and smartphones. Stone highlighted Meta’s ban on filters promoting cosmetic surgery, changes in skin color, or extreme weight loss. He also pointed out the company’s efforts to support teens and families with various tools, including screen-time limits and the option to remove like counts from posts.
Read more at CNN here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.