Overview
- Newly unredacted briefs describe Project Mercury, a 2019–2020 deactivation study run with Nielsen that reportedly found users who stepped away from Facebook and Instagram felt less depression, anxiety, loneliness and social comparison.
- Plaintiffs say Meta stopped the research, did not share the results publicly and later told lawmakers it could not quantify teen harm, citing internal comments likening secrecy to the tobacco industry.
- Former Instagram safety lead Vaishnavi Jayakumar testified that accounts tied to prostitution and sexual solicitation once faced suspension only after a 17th violation and that Instagram lacked a dedicated in‑app CSAM reporting option in March 2020.
- Meta disputes the allegations, calling the study methodologically flawed and the filings cherry‑picked, and highlights later changes including Teen Accounts, parental controls and what it says is a one‑strike policy for human exploitation.
- The evidence is part of consolidated litigation in the Northern District of California against Meta, TikTok, Snap and YouTube, with more than 1,800 plaintiffs and a court hearing scheduled for January 26, 2026.