Quotes academic research which shows no causal connection
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has once again defended social media against claims that it directly harms teen mental health.
In an interview with The Verge, Zuckerberg cited academic research that suggests “there’s no causal connection at a broad scale between these things.”
This stance echoes previous statements made by Zuckerberg, including testimony before US Senate Judiciary Committee in January.
“The academic research shows something that I think, to me, fits more with what I’ve seen of how the platforms operate,” Zuckerberg told The Verge.
“But it’s counter to what a lot of people think, and I think that’s going to be a reckoning that we’ll have to have.”
During the Senate Hearing in January, one senator accused Zuckerberg of creating a platform that is, albeit unintentionally, contributing to the harm and even death of young users.
The hearing brought together top executives from the tech industry, including TikTok CEO Chouzi Chew, Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel, Discord CEO Jason Citron, and Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X (formerly Twitter).
Lawmakers interrogated these leaders about their platforms’ role in facilitating child exploitation, cyberbullying, and mental health crises among minors.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) directly confronted Zuckerberg saying, “Mister Zuckerberg, you and the companies before us – I know you don’t mean it to be so, but you have blood on your hands. You have a product that’s killing people.”
Later, Zuckerberg apologised to parents whose children were harmed by using the company’s online platforms.
“I’m sorry for everything you have all been through,” he told family members at the hearing.
“No one should go through the things that your families have suffered.”
Concerns about social media’s impact on teen mental health intensified following the 2021 release of the Facebook Papers, which revealed internal documents suggesting that Meta was aware of Instagram’s potential harm to some teens.
This led to calls from US lawmakers for stricter age-gating measures and even warning labels similar to those used for tobacco.
Despite his scepticism about direct ties between social media and mental health, Zuckerberg told The Verge that Meta is committed to complying with child safety laws.
To enhance the safety and privacy of its teenage users, Instagram recently introduced a new account type known as “Teen Accounts.”
The update will automatically apply a set of protections to all users under the age of 18, restricting features like direct messaging and introducing new tools for parental supervision. All teen accounts will be private by default, preventing strangers from sending direct messages. They will also come with a feature that silences notifications between 10 pm and 7 am, promoting healthy sleep habits.
Teens can choose to see more content related to topics like sports, animals, and travel, reducing exposure to potentially harmful content.
Moreover, parents can now view their child’s recent messaging activity and the topics they follow on Instagram.
Instagram is also implementing AI-powered tools to verify users’ ages and prevent underage users from accessing restricted features.
Zuckerberg contends that providing parents with the necessary tools to manage their child’s social media usage is the best strategy for the company.
He also expressed his belief that app store owners like Google and Apple should take the lead on age verification, rather than individual platforms.
He argued that this is a measure they are already familiar with, given the existing requirements for age verification for payments.
