Meta Accused of Hiding Social Media Harm to Teens in US Court Case

New court documents filed in late November 2025 allege that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, hid important evidence showing that its social media platforms harm users’ mental health, especially teenagers. These claims were made in a lawsuit brought by a law firm representing school districts across the United States against Meta and other major social media companies like Google, TikTok, and Snapchat.

The lawsuit reveals that Meta conducted internal research in 2020, called "Project Mercury," to study the effects of users temporarily deactivating Facebook and Instagram. The study, done with the help of a survey firm, found that people who stopped using these platforms for a week reported feeling less depressed, anxious, lonely, and less affected by social comparison. Despite this clear evidence, Meta stopped the research and did not share these findings publicly. Instead, the company blamed negative media attention for the results and decided not to continue further investigations.

Inside Meta, some employees privately agreed that the study’s results were accurate and serious. One researcher compared Meta’s silence on these harms to the tobacco industry hiding the dangers of cigarettes. However, when questioned by the U.S. Congress, Meta claimed it could not measure how its platforms affected teenage girls' mental health.

The lawsuit also accuses Meta of delaying efforts to protect children from online predators, designing safety features that were ineffective, and requiring users to attempt sex trafficking multiple times before being removed from the platform. It alleges that Meta prioritized growing its user base and profits over safety concerns.

In response, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said the 2020 study was stopped because of flaws in its methods. He also stated that Meta has worked hard for over a decade to improve the safety of its products and protect teenagers. Stone denied the lawsuit’s claims, calling them based on selected quotes and incorrect opinions. He emphasized that Meta’s safety features are effective and that harmful accounts are removed quickly when flagged.

The lawsuit also targets other social media companies, accusing them of encouraging underage children to use their platforms, failing to address child abuse content properly, and trying to influence child-focused organizations to defend their products publicly. For example, TikTok reportedly sponsored the National PTA and boasted internally about controlling the group’s public statements.

Meta and the other companies have not fully responded to all the allegations. Meta has asked the court to limit public access to some of the internal documents cited in the lawsuit. A court hearing is scheduled for January 26, 2026, in Northern California to discuss these issues.

This lawsuit highlights growing concerns about the mental health impact of social media on young people and the responsibility of tech companies to be transparent and protect their users. It also raises important questions about how much these companies prioritize profits versus safety, especially for vulnerable groups like teenagers.