Facebook has released its internal research on the impact of Instagram on teenage mental health. The data reveals that Instagram was aware that the social media network harms teen mental health. Facebook has reacted to the interpretation of its research, claiming that “it is simply not accurate that this research demonstrates Instagram is ‘toxic’ for teen girls.”
The research slide decks are accessible in two PDFs on Facebook’s newsroom. Notably, Facebook has annotated the two PDFs to offer context.
Even if Facebook disputes particular aspects of the interpretation, the slides supplied by the corporation do much to support that view. Facebook emphasizes in one slide that the data should be interpreted as “teens who have lower life satisfaction more likely to say Instagram makes their mental health or the way they feel about themselves worse than teens who are satisfied with their lives.”
The study is being released the evening before a Congressional hearing on the impact of Facebook and Instagram on children’s mental health. The hearing is set for Thursday at 10:30 a.m. ET.
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