Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg allegedly halted proposals aimed at improving Facebook and Instagram’s impact on teen mental health, according to internal communications revealed as part of unsealed court documents.
Zuckerberg allegedly vetoed plans to ban filters that simulate plastic surgery on Meta-owned platforms, according to the unredacted lawsuit filed by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell (D), and ignored requests from top executives to boost investments in teens’ well-being.
Experts have raised concerns about the ways certain filters — visual effects that can digitally alter a user’s appearance — can harm teen mental health.
Massachusetts is one of dozens of states to sue Meta last month, alleging the company knowingly designed and deployed features that harmed young users’ mental health.
The unredacted version of the complaint offers insight into the role Zuckerberg allegedly played in decisions about features for teens on the platform. Facebook and Instagram have been under immense scrutiny since whistleblower Frances Haugen came forward two years ago with internal company documents highlighting those concerns.
Meta executives put forward a plan in 2019 that would “disallow effects that mimic plastic surgery,” including certain plastic surgery filters on Facebook and Instagram, over concerns about the impact they have on young users’ mental health and well-being, according to the lawsuit.
Meta executives who supported the move allegedly faced pushback from Zuckerberg. The CEO scheduled a meeting to discuss it in April 2020, but it was canceled one day before taking place, according to the lawsuit.
The same day, Zuckerberg allegedly “vetoed” the proposal to ban the filters by email and directed staff to “relax” or “lift” the temporary ban in place, according to the complaint.
A Meta spokesperson pushed back on the allegations in the complaint.
“While filters exist across every major social platform and smartphone camera, Meta bans those that directly promote cosmetic surgery, changes in skin color or extreme weight loss. We clearly note when a filter is being used and we work to proactively review effects against these rules before they go live,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.
In another instance, Zuckerberg allegedly “ignored” recommendations from Nick Clegg, then the vice president of global affairs, to make additional investments in well-being at the company. Clegg’s email to the CEO in August 2021 specifically emphasized the need to improve the impact of the company’s products on “young people’s mental health,” according to the complaint.
In the months that followed, other top executives, including Instagram chief Adam Mosseri shared similar concerns. Clegg sent a follow-up email to Zuckerberg in November 2021 reiterating the need for investment, according to the complaint.
Meta’s CFO Susan Li allegedly responded that staffing was too “constrained” for the request, according to the complaint.
The Meta spokesperson also pushed back on allegations about investments to well-being.
“We have a robust central team overseeing youth well-being efforts across the company and have built technology and teams that can move quickly and efficiently to implement new improvements across specific apps. The complaint is filled with selective quotes from hand-picked documents that do not provide the full context of how the company operates or what decisions were made,” the spokesperson said.
Along with lawsuits from states, Meta is facing increased scrutiny in Congress. On Tuesday, a former company employee testified before a Senate panel about Instagram’s impact on kids.