Meta’s own research has found that parental supervision doesn’t really help reduce teens’ compulsive social media use

An internal research study at Meta called “Project MYST” was created in partnership with University of ChicagoIt found that parental supervision and controls – such as time limits and limited access – had little effect on children’s compulsive social media use. The study also found that children who had been exposed to stressful life events were more likely to lack the ability to adequately control their social media use.

This was one of the high-profile allegations revealed during testimony in the social media addiction trial that began last week in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The plaintiff in the lawsuit is identified by her initials “KGM” or her first name “Kaley.” She, her mother and others joining the case accuse social media companies of producing “addictive and dangerous” products that have led young users to suffer from anxiety, depression, body dysmorphia, eating disorders, self-harm, suicidal ideation and more.

The case is now one of several landmark trials to be held this year, accusing social media companies of harming children. The outcome of these lawsuits will impact these companies’ approach to their younger users and may prompt regulators to take further action.

In this case, the plaintiff sued Meta, YouTube, ByteDance (TikTok), and Snap, but the latter two king settle Their claims before the trial begins.

In the jury trial now underway in Los Angeles, Calley’s attorney, Mark Lanier, brought up an internal study into Meta, which he said found evidence that Meta was aware of these specific damages, but did not make them public.

In the MYST project, which stands for Meta and Youth Social Emotional Trends Survey, Meta research concluded that “parental and household factors have little association with adolescents’ reported levels of attention to their social media use.”

Or in other words, even when parents try to control their children’s social media use, either by using parental controls or even just rules and home supervision, it has no bearing on whether or not a child will overuse or compulsively use social media. The study was based on a survey of 1,000 teenagers and their parents about their use of social media.

The study also noted that both parents and teens agreed on this front, saying, “There is no association between parent reports or adolescent reports of parental supervision and adolescent survey measures of attention or ability.”

If the study’s findings are accurate, it means that using things like Instagram’s built-in parental controls or smartphone time limits won’t necessarily help teens become less inclined to overuse social media, the plaintiff’s attorney said. As the original complaint alleges, teens are being exploited by social media products, whose flaws include algorithmic feeds designed to keep users scrolling, intermittent variable rewards that manipulate dopamine delivery, persistent notifications, deficient parental control tools, and more.

During his testimony, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri claimed that he was not familiar with the MYST project, although there was a document that seemed to indicate that he had given his approval to move forward with the study.

“We do a lot of research projects,” Mosseri said, after claiming he couldn’t remember anything specific about MYST other than its name.

However, the plaintiff’s attorney pointed to this study as an example of why social media companies, not parents, should be held accountable for alleged harms. He noted that Callie’s mother, for example, tried to stop her daughter’s social media addiction and use, even taking her phone away at times.

Furthermore, the study found that teens with a greater number of negative life experiences — such as those dealing with alcoholic parents, bullying at school, or other issues — reported less concern with their social media use. The lawyer said this meant that children facing trauma in their real lives were more at risk of addiction.

On stage, Mosseri seemed to partly agree with this finding, saying: “There are a variety of reasons why this might be the case. One reason I’ve heard a lot is that people use Instagram as a way to escape a more difficult reality.” Meta is careful not to classify any type of overuse as addiction; Instead, Mosseri said the company uses the term “problematic usage” to refer to someone who “spends more time on Instagram than they are comfortable with.”

Meanwhile, Meta’s lawyers pushed the idea that the study was more narrowly focused on understanding whether teens feel they use social media too much, rather than whether they are actually addicted. They also generally aim to place more responsibility on parents and the facts of life as a trigger for children, such as Kelly’s negative emotional states, rather than corporate social media products.

For example, Meta’s lawyers pointed out Callie is the child of divorced parents, with an abusive father, and faces bullying at school.

How will the jury interpret the results of studies e.g Project MYST et alalong with the testimonies of both sides, remains to be seen. However, Mosseri noted that the MYST results have not been released publicly, and no warnings were issued to teens or parents as a result of the research.

Meta has been requested for comment.