Courtroom testimony in a major social media addiction trial has brought fresh scrutiny to internal research conducted by Meta. A study known as Project MYST, created in partnership with the University of Chicago, found that parental supervision tools such as time limits and restricted access had little effect on teens’ compulsive use of social media. The findings were revealed during proceedings at the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The lawsuit was filed by a plaintiff identified as “KGM” or “Kaley,” along with her mother and others. They allege that social media companies created “addictive and dangerous” products that contributed to anxiety, depression, body dysmorphia, eating disorders, self-harm and suicidal ideation. The case names Meta, YouTube, ByteDance (TikTok) and Snap as defendants, although ByteDance and Snap settled before the trial began. Kaley’s lawyer, Mark Lanier, cited Project MYST as evidence that Meta was aware of potential harms but did not make the findings public.
Project MYST, short for Meta and Youth Social Emotional Trends survey, was based on responses from 1,000 teens and their parents. The research concluded that “parental and household factors have little association with teens’ reported levels of attentiveness to their social media use.” It also stated that “there is no association between either parental reports or teen reports of parental supervision and teens’ survey measures of attentiveness or capability.” The study further found that teens who experienced stressful life events, such as harassment at school or family issues, were less able to moderate their usage. During testimony, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said he was not familiar with the details of Project MYST, adding, “We do a lot of research projects,” and later acknowledged, “There’s a variety of reasons this can be the case. One I’ve heard often is that people use Instagram as a way to escape from a more difficult reality.” He noted that Meta prefers the term “problematic use” rather than addiction.
Meta’s legal team argued that the study focused on whether teens felt they were overusing social media, not whether they were clinically addicted. They also pointed to personal circumstances in Kaley’s life as contributing factors. Mosseri confirmed that the study’s findings were not publicly released and that no warnings were issued based on the research. The outcome of the trial could influence how social media platforms approach younger users and shape future regulatory action.
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