November 24, 2025
Social media giant Meta Platforms is facing allegations that it may have suppressed internal research that found deactivating Facebook could significantly reduce depression, anxiety, and loneliness in users.
The claims stem from unredacted court filings in a lawsuit filed by multiple U.S. school districts against major social media companies, alleging the platforms intentionally concealed knowledge of the health risks posed by their products.
According to reports citing the court documents, Meta launched a project in 2020 called “Project Mercury” to investigate the mental health effects of its flagship platform. The research, conducted with survey firm Nielsen, studied users who chose to quit or “deactivate” their Facebook accounts.
The lawsuit claims that when this research suggested benefits to quitting Facebook, Meta shut down the project and may have refused to publish the findings. Internal documents confirm the researchers viewed the findings as significant.
One internal scientist’s filing confirmed that the research showed a clear mechanism of harm: “The Nielsen study does show causal impact on social comparison,” the staffer wrote.
Another employee compared the situation to the tobacco industry: “[The issue is like the tobacco industry] doing research and knowing cigs were bad and then keeping that info to themselves.”
The precise metrics or quantified data from Project Mercury showing the extent of improvement in depression scores were allegedly suppressed and remain unavailable in the public filings cited by the report.
Company Response and Legal Action
In a statement obtained by Reuters, a Meta spokesperson strongly disputed the allegations.
“We strongly disagree with these allegations, which rely on cherry-picked quotes and misinformed opinions,” the spokesperson said. The company maintains that its record shows it has worked for over a decade to protect teenagers on its platforms, touting its Instagram Teen Accounts as an example.
Meta is currently arguing in court to strike the documents underlying these allegations, claiming the plaintiffs’ request to unseal the records is overly broad. The consolidated lawsuits are being heard in the Northern District of California, with a hearing on the matter set for late January.
