Facebook Addresses Instagram's Teen Toxicity with Public Slide Decks

Facebook Releases Internal Research on Instagram’s Impact on Teen Mental Health

Facebook has made public internal research previously accessed by The Wall Street Journal. This research had been reported as demonstrating the company’s awareness of the detrimental effects Instagram can have on the mental wellbeing of adolescent girls.

Access to the Research

The two presentation slide decks are available for review at these links: here and here.

The technology company also confirmed that it submitted the materials to Congress earlier today.

Contextual Commentary and Reframing

However, Facebook did not simply publish the slides in their original form. It has included its own commentary designed to minimize the importance of the internal research.

This action follows several days of media coverage characterizing the revelations regarding Instagram and teen girls’ mental health as Facebook’s equivalent of the “Big Tobacco” scandal.

Initial Reports and Findings

Last week, the WSJ detailed internal documents obtained by its reporters. These documents included slides from a presentation where Facebook seemingly admitted that Instagram exacerbates body image concerns for approximately one-third of teenage girls.

In response, Facebook’s public relations team immediately initiated a counter-narrative, publishing a rebuttal blog post on Sunday.

Delayed Publication and Strategic Reframing

Now, the company has released the two internal research slide decks online, representing at least a portion of the WSJ’s source material. The delay in publication appears to be due to the PR team’s efforts to strategically reframe the research’s contents.

Redactions and Annotations

The published material includes minor redactions, such as the removal of researchers’ names. More significantly, it features extensive “annotations” where Facebook attempts to reinterpret the research’s significance.

The company asserts that the research was part of broader, continuous efforts to “ensure that our platform is having the most positive impact possible”.

Downplaying Negative Findings

Facebook also attempts to diminish the importance of specific negative findings. For instance, it suggests that the number of teenagers reporting problems was relatively small.