Internal Meta study revealed in social media addiction trial

A social media addiction trial that began last week in the Los Angeles County Superior Court has revealed “Project MYST,” an internal Meta research study conducted in partnership with the University of Chicago. The study, formally known as the Meta and Youth Social Emotional Trends survey, was based on a survey of 1,000 teens and their parents regarding their social media use. The research concluded that parental supervision and controls—such as time limits and restricted access—had little impact on kids’ compulsive use of social media.

The plaintiff in the lawsuit, identified as KGM, is accusing social media companies of creating “addictive and dangerous” products. KGM originally sued Meta, YouTube, ByteDance, and Snap, though ByteDance and Snap settled their claims before the trial began. KGM’s lawyer, Mark Lanier, presented the Project MYST study to argue that Meta knew of, yet didn’t publicize, specific harms related to social media use. Lanier argued that the study serves as an example of why social media companies, rather than parents, should be held accountable for these alleged harms, and that the use of built-in parental controls or time limits wouldn’t necessarily help teens become less inclined to overuse social media. The study also found that kids who experienced stressful life events were more likely to lack the ability to moderate their social media use appropriately.

During his testimony, Instagram head Adam Mosseri claimed not to be familiar with the details of Project MYST, stating that the company conducts many research projects. Mosseri did note, however, that the findings of Project MYST had not been published publicly, and no warnings were ever issued to teens or parents as a result of the research. He testified that Meta uses the term “problematic use” rather than addiction to describe when users spend more time on the platform than they feel good about. Meanwhile, a Meta spokesperson defended the company’s tools, stating: “Aside from the fact that this analysis showed nothing about the impact of parental oversight on teens’ behavior, parents tell us over and over that they want and need digital monitoring tools. That’s why we build them.”

Why it matters

The trial highlights a growing legal risk for social media platforms: internal research that contradicts public-facing safety narratives can be used to argue that companies knowingly prioritize engagement over user well-being.