Leaked documents suggest Facebook is aware that Instagram is harmful to many young users, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal.
The report cites a 2019 internal slide summarizing the research, which states, “We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls.”
A presentation laid out how research found 13 percent of British users and six percent of American users who experienced suicidal thoughts said they traced these thoughts to Instagram.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri suggested the issues mentioned in this story aren’t necessarily widespread, but that the impact on people may be huge.
Facebook has previously faced criticism after revealing plans to launch a version of Instagram for kids.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) argued the company is taking a page from the textbook of Big Tobacco — targeting teens with potentially dangerous products while masking the science in public.
The Journal published another major Facebook story on Monday indicating that the platform has a secret elite of users who are routinely allowed to violate its policies without consequences without being punished for violating its policies.
