As someone who has already taken a considerable step back from social media this year, the release of the Facebook Files was just another reason to continue.
The Wall Street Journal received tens of thousands of leaked documents from the Facebook whistleblower, Francis Haugen. These documents contain internal research done by Facebook on the detrimental effects of their platform on society. The findings include a “whitelist” of users exempt from the platform’s rules, Facebook’s knowledge of drug cartels and human traffickers using their social media sites, awareness of online conflicts that are weakening our democracy, and the implementation of a corrupt algorithm.
These four findings alone are enough to raise countless red flags. However, The most inexcusable finding is that Facebook fully knows “that Instagram is toxic for teen girls.” By “toxic,” it is understood that Facebook is aware of how social media negatively affects teen girls’ body image and mental health.
Facebook bought Instagram in 2012 and began its research on the effects of Instagram on its users in 2018. This damning internal research is now published for everyone to see, and two of the most revealing studies are called “Teen Girls Body Image Study” and “Teen Mental Health Deep Dive.”
Can I emphasize the year 2018? Facebook has known about Instagram’s negative effects since 2018 but chose not to release the information so they could continue bringing in high levels of revenue.
In the “Teen Girls Body Image Study,” one of the internal documents directly read, “For teen girls who’d recently experienced body image issues, Instagram made those feelings worse for one in three of them.”
Social comparison is a huge issue because of Instagram. Teen girls see influencers and models post the “best” pictures of themselves, typically edited and beautified using filters. Then, they think, how do I compare to that person? Am I just as pretty? Or skinny? Or happy? For most of the girls included in the study, the answer was no.
These edited, unrealistic bodies are seen everywhere these days. It is not just on Instagram; it is an industry-wide problem. However, directly written in the findings of this research is the statement that “social comparison is worse on Instagram.”
This comparison has gone so far that lip injections are commonly referred to as the “Insta look.” Some women physically alter their bodies because of the influencers they see on Instagram. The girls who are too young or can’t afford to get an actual procedure done just continue to envy the big lips they see in their feed, or they physically injure themselves to plump their lips. Remember the Kylie Jenner lip challenge?
These high levels of social comparison lead to decreased confidence and, for some girls, the development of an eating disorder.
Haugen said, “… what’s super tragic is Facebook’s own research says, as these young women begin to consume this — this eating disorder content, they get more and more depressed. Unfortunately, this actually makes them use the app more. And so, they end up in this feedback cycle where they hate their bodies more and more. Facebook’s research says it is not just that Instagram is dangerous for teenagers, that it harms teenagers, it’s that it is distinctly worse than other forms of social media.” Source.
If the increased body issues don’t break your heart enough, Facebook’s “Teen Mental Health Deep Dive” study found “teens say that constant comparison on Instagram is contributing to higher levels of anxiety and depression.” The leaked documents repeated this statement, and researchers didn’t dispute it either.
Many things can cause depression and anxiety, but the Facebook Files prove that they are both exacerbated by Instagram. Some users also experience the positive effects of Instagram more than the negative ones. Still, there is a clear subset of teen girls who are directly experiencing the negative effects. Again, I will repeat that Facebook knew of these harmful effects on teen girls, but they decided to look the other way instead of implementing change.
As soon as a company found these damaging statistics, you’d think they would strive to change their platform. Facebook, however, had a conflict of interest between what was good for the public and what was good for Facebook. “Facebook, over and over again, chose to optimize for its own interests, like making more money.”
“…they have put their astronomical profits before people.”
Francis Haugen
The whistleblower, Haugen, repeated this same concept when she testified before a Senate committee. “The company’s leadership knows how to make Facebook and Instagram safer but won’t make the necessary changes because they have put their astronomical profits before people. Congressional action is needed. They won’t solve this crisis without your help.”
So, what will happen next? Will anything really be fixed or changed? Providing Instagram users with the option to hide like counts was a step in the right direction, but it was not even close to fixing the problem. Sadly, there is no clean-cut solution for issues like this now that social media has taken over the world. So, like usual, Mark Zuckerberg will usher out his most sincere apology and carry on.
I am choosing not to ignore this issue, and I strongly encourage every one of you to do the same. Here are some ways you can protect yourself:
Never look at Instagram in the morning or before you go to bed. Allow yourself to start and end your day on your own terms and with a clean slate. Remove all like counts for others’ posts and your posts. Unfollow all accounts that depict an unrealistic body or life image. This includes influencers, models, and some brands. Stick to only following people you know and care to see in your feed. Set a time limit for Instagram or all social media apps in general. Mine is personally set at an hour a day for each. Start big and work your way down.
Now, remember, this is just a singular finding from the leaked Facebook Files. For more information on each finding, watch Francis Haugen’s interview on CBS’ “60 Minutes.” You can also read or listen to the Wall Street Journal pieces. Here are WSJ’s written “Facebook Files.” Then, the playlist I created containing all episodes of the WSJ’s Facebook Files podcast series.