Meta Study Reveals Parental Controls May Not Stop Teens’ Social Media Overuse
A recent internal study by Meta, called Project MYST, suggests that parental supervision and controls—like time limits or restricted app access—may have little effect on teens’ compulsive social media use. Conducted in partnership with the University of Chicago, the research also found that teens experiencing stressful life events were less able to regulate their social media habits, raising concerns about the impact of online platforms on vulnerable youth.
These findings were highlighted during a landmark social media addiction trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court, where the plaintiff, a teenager identified as Kaley (or “KGM”), and her family argue that platforms including Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap designed addictive features that contributed to anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and self-harm among young users. Meta, YouTube, and Snap faced lawsuits, though some companies settled before the trial began.
According to Project MYST—short for Meta and Youth Social Emotional Trends—there was no significant link between parental monitoring and teens’ attentiveness to their social media use. The study, which surveyed 1,000 teens and their parents, showed that even households enforcing rules or using parental controls did not meaningfully reduce compulsive scrolling. Both parents and teens agreed on this lack of correlation, suggesting that parental strategies alone may not be enough to protect children.
The research also highlighted that teens facing adverse life experiences, such as bullying or family instability, were at higher risk for overusing social media. On the stand, Instagram head Adam Mosseri acknowledged that teens often use the platform as a way to escape difficult realities, but he framed overuse as “problematic use” rather than addiction. Lawyers for Meta emphasized that the study was meant to gauge teens’ self-perceptions of usage, not to prove addiction, and suggested parental and environmental factors played a role in the teens’ struggles.
The study’s results, which were never publicly released, have become a key point in the trial, raising questions about whether social media companies should bear responsibility for teen overuse. Kaley’s legal team argues that these platforms, rather than parents, should be accountable for the harm caused by algorithmic feeds, endless notifications, and addictive design elements. How the jury interprets Project MYST and other evidence will likely influence not only this case but also broader regulations and protections for teens on social media.
source: techcrunch