Facebook criticised over secret research on Instagram harm to teens
Facebook is facing criticism after the Wall Street Journal reported that Instagram kept secret internal research showing the platform harmed teenagers' mental health. The research reportedly found Instagram worsened body-image issues for one in three teenage girls and that some teenage users blamed the app for anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. Campaign groups and MPs accused Facebook of putting profit before harm, while Instagram defended its research and said it had developed safety features. The company said it would be more transparent in future.
- Organisation involved
- Product, system or model
This incident was imported from bbc.co.uk. Our additions to it — the structured fields, the translation, the checks against other reports — are published under the same licence.
This is a record of what was reported, not a finding that anyone broke the law. If it names your organisation and you believe it is wrong, the corrections process is free and open to everyone.