Meta’s own researchers called Instagram a “drug” while burying evidence that the company’s social media apps were hurting children’s mental health, according to bombshell filings unsealed in California federal court on Friday. The alarming details surfaced in Northern California District Court, where a coalition of US state attorneys general, school districts and parents are suing Meta, Google-owned YouTube, TikTok and Snap over allegations they prioritized profit while misleading the public about potential risks to children.
