Over 300 scientists working in the fields of psychology, health, and technology have published an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg. The team demanded from the CEO of Meta to allow scientists to investigate the effects of Facebook and Instagram on child and teen mental health.
In a response to internal documents leaked to the Wall Street Journal by whistleblower Frances Haugen, the team of scientists wrote a demand to Zuckerberg to open the doors of his company to investigators. According to internal research by Meta, three teen girls confessed that using Instagram made them feel worse about their bodies.
The open letter, published Monday, stated that the research leaked by Haugen isn’t a definitive proof that Meta’s platforms can cause harm on teen and child mental health. However, the issue is that Meta is keeping its doors closed on investigators and researchers.
The letter added that according to the limited public information about the research techniques that Meta follows, the company’s internal studies aren’t accurate.