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Recently, a number of lawsuits have attempted to place the blame for teen mental health struggles squarely on social media companies. But this oversimplifies a serious issue. Clinicians and researchers <\/span>find<\/span><\/a> that mental health is a deeply complex and multifaceted issue, and trends regarding teens\u2019 well-being aren\u2019t clear-cut or universal. Narrowing the challenges faced by teens to a single factor ignores the scientific research and the many stressors impacting young people today, like <\/span>academic pressure<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>school safety<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>socio-economic challenges<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>substance abuse<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Despite this complexity, plaintiffs\u2019 lawyers have selectively cited Meta\u2019s internal documents to construct a misleading narrative, suggesting our platforms have harmed teens and that Meta has prioritized growth over their well-being.<\/span><\/p>\n These claims don\u2019t reflect reality. The evidence will show a company deeply and responsibly confronting tough questions, conducting research, listening to parents, academics, and safety experts, and taking action.<\/span><\/p>\n Most teens today use social media to stay close to friends and family, express themselves, build community, and find support if they need it. Still, we recognize and share parents\u2019 concerns around teens having safe, age-appropriate experiences on social media. That\u2019s why we want to collaborate with parents to help teens use social media in a meaningful way, with the right protections, oversight, and guardrails.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Over the years, we\u2019ve listened to parents and our community to understand the challenges they\u2019re facing and respond with new tools, features, and resources to support them. For example:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These are just some of the protections we\u2019ve built for teens to give parents peace of mind that their teens have automatic restrictions in place. Parents know their teens best and should have the final say over how they engage with technology.<\/span><\/p>\n Today, <\/span>parents can use supervision features<\/span><\/a> to set their teens\u2019 time to as little as 15 minutes a day, block usage at certain times throughout the day, see who their teens are messaging, and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We also collaborate with law enforcement, experts, and our industry peers to address potential threats and develop educational programs to empower teens and parents to take control of their online experience. This includes:<\/span><\/p>\n Social media provides important benefits for teens. It can create a sense of belonging, especially for those who might struggle to find community elsewhere. It can open opportunities that they wouldn\u2019t have had otherwise, like helping them grow a following for their art or music pursuits, show their athletic talents to potential recruiters, or even start a small business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The science backs this up. As well as showing that social media does not have a population-level impact on adolescent mental health, the <\/span>National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine<\/span><\/a> consensus report devotes an entire chapter to the potential benefits of social media for teens.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There is also new evidence that rates of teen depression, suicidal thoughts, and behaviors in the US has begun to decline, even as social media usage <\/span>increases or stays the same<\/span><\/a>. According to<\/span> the <\/span>US Department of Health and Human Services\u2019 National Survey of Drug Use and Health<\/span><\/a>, the prevalence of major depressive episodes among 12-to-17-year-olds fell from 21% in 2021 to 15% in 2024. Serious suicidal thoughts in 12-to-17-year-olds fell from nearly 13% in 2021 to 10% in 2024.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOur Record of Supporting Parents and Teens<\/h2>\n
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What Plaintiffs\u2019 Lawyers Ignore<\/h2>\n