Zuckerberg was warned about social media addiction, the dossier said

Employees at Meta Platforms and ByteDance were aware of the harmful effects of their platforms on young children and teens, but ignored the information or, in some cases, attempted to undermine it, according to a lawsuit.

The allegations were made public in a previously filed social media lawsuit, but key parts were sealed from public view. An unedited version filed this weekend in federal court in Oakland details how much engineers and others, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, knew about the downsides of social media and their concerns about it.

“No one wakes up thinking they want to maximize the number of times they open Instagram that day,” one Meta contributor wrote in 2021, according to the filing. “But that’s what our product teams are trying to do.”

The Oakland case is a collection of numerous complaints filed in the US on behalf of teens and young adults alleging that Google’s Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube led to anxiety, depression, eating disorders and insomnia. The companies have also been accused of more than a dozen suicides, based on allegations that they knowingly developed algorithms that send children down dangerous and addictive paths. Several public school districts have also filed lawsuits, alleging that they failed to fulfill their teaching mandate as students grapple with mental health crises.

In their defense, the social media giants point to a 1996 law that gave internet platforms broad immunity against claims of harmful content posted by users. Both sides are closely watching a Supreme Court case that will likely determine the fate of the Oakland trial.

According to the new filing, internal documents from TikTok parent company ByteDance show the company knows that young people are more likely to attempt dangerous stunts they see on the platform — known as viral challenges — because risk-taking has no weight. they are not full. formed

Young people are more likely to overestimate their ability to manage risk and their “ability to understand the finality of death is also inadequate,” the filing said.

Another unsealed piece of the filing alleges that Meta insulted its mental health team instead of addressing the issues surrounding children using Instagram and Facebook.

The filing states that Zuckerberg was personally warned: “We are not on track to succeed in our key wellness issues (problem use, bullying and harassment, connections and SSI) and are facing regulatory and external risk.” Criticism increased. It affects everyone, especially young people and creators; if not addressed, it will follow us into the metaverse.

A spokesperson for Meta said the claim it would cut jobs to support people’s well-being was false.

“We’ve actually increased funding, which is reflected in the more than 30 tools we offer to support teens and families,” the spokesperson said. “Today, hundreds of employees across the company are working to develop features to this effect.”

Snap had no immediate comment on the court documents. TikTok officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“These never-before-seen documents show that social media companies are treating the adolescent mental health crisis as a public relations issue rather than a pressing social issue caused by their products,” the three attorneys said in a statement. , Previn Warren and Chris Seeger. “That includes burying internal research documenting these harms, blocking protections because they reduce ‘engagement,’ and defunding teams focused on protecting young people’s mental health.”

The companies have previously said that user safety is a priority and that they have taken corrective actions to give parents greater control over their children’s use of the platforms and provide more resources for mental health.