Meta's Internal Documents Reveal Pattern of Deception in Teen Safety Claims

The Tech Oversight Project has released a comprehensive report revealing that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg provided false testimony to Congress regarding the company's knowledge and handling of teen safety issues on its platforms.

Key Findings from Internal Documents

The report analyzes Zuckerberg's 2024 Senate Judiciary Committee testimony against newly unsealed internal documents, demonstrating a pattern of deception:

Teen Safety Investments

• Zuckerberg claimed Meta was making "industry-leading efforts" to protect teens
• Internal testing of 47 Instagram safety features found 64% were ineffective or unavailable
• Only 17% of tested tools worked as advertised

Mental Health Research

• Zuckerberg stated "the bulk of scientific evidence does not support" social media harms to mental health
• Internal Facebook Files revealed company research consistently linked Instagram to worsened teen mental health
• A 2019 internal slide stated "We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls"

Content Moderation Claims

• Zuckerberg testified "We don't allow sexually explicit content on the service for people of any age"
• Internal documents revealed Meta had a 17-strike policy for accounts engaged in sex trafficking
• 79% of child sex trafficking in 2020 occurred on Meta platforms

Age Verification

• Zuckerberg claimed "We don't allow people under the age of 13 on our service"
• Internal documents show Meta targeting "Kid" (6-10), "Tween" (10-13), and "Teen" (13+) demographics
• A 2022 audit found Instagram recommended 1.4 million inappropriate adults to teenage users daily

Platform Design Philosophy

• Zuckerberg claimed commitment to "safe and positive experiences"
• Internal emails revealed optimization for sneaking phone use during school
• Documents showed Meta calculated the "lifetime value" of 13-year-old users at $270

Deactivation Study

• Zuckerberg testified about positive mental health benefits of social apps
• Meta conducted a study showing users who stopped using Facebook and Instagram for a week had lower anxiety, depression, and loneliness
• The company halted the study and did not disclose results

The report concludes that Meta systematically misled Congress while internal research documented serious harms to young users, calling for legislative action including the Kids Online Safety Act to force accountability.

View the full report and evidence on The Tech Oversight Project's Big Tech on Trial microsite