The toxic impact of social media on teenage girls' mental health has been a growing concern, with Meta's Instagram at the center of the issue. Internal documents reveal that in June 2019, an Instagram report found nearly 2 million minor accounts were recommended to 'groomers' within a three-month period.
Mark Zuckerberg's Meta was aware of Instagram's tendency to steer underage users toward harmful content, despite requests from co-founder Kevin Systrom and others for increased safety resources. This lack of action has led to lawsuits from 41 US states and the District of Columbia over its handling of addictive features that harm young users.
Internal research by Meta whistleblower Frances Haugen revealed that Instagram poses toxic risks to teenage girls' mental health, including thoughts of suicide and eating disorders. A Pew Research poll found that 81% of Americans believe parents should be required to give consent before their children create social media accounts, and 71% support age verification before usage.
The company's failure to address these issues poses significant regulatory, legal, and reputational risk, with Instagram's toxic impact on teenage girls' mental health being a major concern.