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Curse and Coffee friends,
Today, we explore how META is harming teens.
Hit reply and let us know what you think (we read all of your kind words).
Coffee at the ready…
The Big Sip
The take: Meta proved its platforms hurt users, then quietly killed the research to protect profits.
What happened: Court documents unsealed Friday showed Meta shut down "Project Mercury" in 2020 after discovering something inconvenient. Users who quit Facebook and Instagram for just one week reported less depression and anxiety.
Why it matters: Meta had proof its platforms caused harm. Then, executives went to Congress and testified they couldn't figure out whether their apps hurt teenage girls.
They knew. They had the data. They killed the research and lied about it.
What to watch: A hearing on 26 January in Northern California will decide which internal documents get released to the public. Meta is fighting to keep them sealed.
The company had evidence that taking a one-week break from their platforms improved mental health. Instead of acting on it, they terminated the project and kept building features designed to maximize time on the app.
Teenage girls kept scrolling. Depression rates kept climbing. Meta kept collecting ad revenue.
Sponsor Break
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Here’s Your Brew
Meta's own scientists ran a proper study with Nielsen. They had users quit Facebook and Instagram for one week.
The results?
People reported feeling better across every mental health measure tracked.
One internal researcher saw the problem immediately. He warned that ignoring these findings was just like Big Tobacco hiding what cigarettes do to lungs.
Meta's response?
Blame the media.
Stop asking questions. Kill the research.
We're past the debate about whether social media affects mental health. Now it's about what Meta knew, when they knew it, and what they did with that information.
In 2021, Zuckerberg texted that child safety wasn't his priority compared to "building the metaverse."
Meanwhile, employees were documenting billions of inappropriate interactions between adults and minors on the platform.
Court documents show Meta did three things:
Optimized the algorithm for teen engagement, knowing it served more harmful content
Delayed tools that would stop predators because they worried about slowing growth
Designed youth safety features to be rarely used
The court filings allege this wasn't an accident or oversight.
This was the strategy.
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone says Project Mercury's research methods were flawed. He says the company has "listened to parents" for over a decade.
The court documents tell a different story. They listened. They took detailed notes. Then they filed those notes where Congress wouldn't find them.
When you have proof that your product hurts kids and your response is to hide the evidence and keep building features that maximize screen time, you're not confused about harm.
You're prioritizing profit over safety.
The hearing on January 26th will decide which other internal documents become public. Meta is fighting hard to keep them sealed.
They really don't want you reading what else they knew.
Two Sides, One Mug
Pro: Correlation isn't causation. One week doesn't prove long-term harm. Lots of variables could explain why people felt better. Maybe they were on vacation. Perhaps they spent more time outside. Short studies have limits.
Con: Meta had evidence from their own scientists. They hid it from Congress. They hid it from parents. Then they kept building features to maximize screen time, knowing the mental health costs.
Our read: When your own researcher says you're acting like Big Tobacco, you have two choices. Fix the problem or kill the research.
Meta killed the research.
Receipt of the Day
TIME's unsealed court filings coverage with testimony from Instagram's former safety head, who discovered the 17-strike trafficking policy. Shows the full pattern.
Spit Take
17 violations before Meta suspended sex trafficking accounts.
Source: Court testimony, Northern District of California
Your Coffee Break Links (and water cooler chatter)
Reuters: Meta buried 'causal' evidence – Zuckerberg's 2021 text dismissing child safety in favor of metaverse priorities included.
Motley Rice lawsuit details – The law firm representing 1,800+ plaintiffs explains the stakes in MDL 3047.
Japan Times coverage – How this story plays outside US markets.
Join your team of caffeinated skeptics. ☕
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What happens to Meta after this?
You can read Friday’s newsletter on Google’s AI push here.
For the love of coffee, see you tomorrow!
Enjoy your Monday, keep it caffeinated.
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