Project MYST was an internal research project of Meta running from 2019 to 2021 that looked at how the use of social media, parental oversight, and adolescent mental health are connected. Although Meta claims that parental controls keep young people safe, Project MYST, their own research, found that parental controls in fact do not work against the addictive design of the platform.
Key Findings: The "Smoking Guns"
1. The Vulnerability Loop
The study found that teenagers with a history of stress, trauma, or unstable domestic lives were more likely to become addicted to social media use.
- Litigating Fact: Meta knew that the children who needed protection the most were the same ones most likely to be targeted by the algorithm they use. This way the "Selection Bias" argument used by the defense is countered, showing that Meta in fact understood that its product made the already existing vulnerabilities even worse.
2. The Failure of Parental Oversight
The study found that household rules and parental controls had "little to no association" with how compulsively teens used the platform, which is important for Meta's defense.
- Litigating Fact: For years, Meta has put the responsibility for safety on parents. Project MYST shows Meta knew that even the most "diligent" parents could not step in once a child started using the platform.
3. The "Addict's Narrative"
Internal researchers noticed that teenagers described their relationship with Instagram as an "addict's narrative." Many of these teenagers said they spent way too much time on the platform, they knew it was harmful, but felt powerless to resist.
- Litigating Fact: This feeling of "powerlessness" matches the plaintiff's expert testimony about how dopamine makes social media feel like a drug.
Strategic Legal Implications
- Section 230 Implications: By showing that Meta knew how its features - not just its content - affected vulnerable youth, plaintiffs argue this is a product design defect.
- Punitive Damages: Meta kept Project MYST results from the public and the PTA while promoting "Parental Supervision Tools" they knew did not work. This shows a pattern of ignoring public safety.
- Causation: Project MYST offers the "missing link" between design choices and clinical harm. It shows the platform does more than host content; it creates compulsive feedback loops that cause harm.
Litigation Note
Mark Lanier is now using Project MYST to question Meta executives. He is asking them to explain why they focused on "Tweens on Facebook" and "Growth" metrics instead of the warnings in this report.