Meta allegedly discovered something alarming: when users stopped using Facebook, they felt less depressed, less anxious, and less lonely—but instead of alerting the public, the company stopped the research and kept it quiet.

According to new court documents, Meta shut down an internal project called “Project Mercury,” which began in 2019 to study how its platforms impact well-being. Early results reportedly showed that users who deactivated Facebook for just one week reported better mental health across the board.

Rather than publish the findings or take immediate steps to protect users—especially young people—Meta allegedly halted the study and never disclosed the results, even while publicly denying any link between its platforms and teen mental health harms.

Now school districts, parents, and state attorneys general are suing. And we’re left wondering: What else are they hiding?

We call on Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the Meta Board of Directors, and the U.S. Congress to:

• Immediately release all internal mental health research conducted by Meta, Instagram, and Facebook
• Disclose past decisions to suppress or abandon studies, especially those involving youth
• Cooperate with an independent oversight investigation into what Meta knew and when they knew it.

This isn’t just a public relations issue—it’s a public health crisis. Teen depression, anxiety, and suicide rates are climbing. Parents, educators, and lawmakers have a right to know how social media might be contributing—and what internal warnings were ignored.

Transparency shouldn’t require a lawsuit.

If Meta truly believes in “building community” and “bringing the world closer together,” then it’s time to act like it. The public deserves the truth. Young people deserve protection. And platforms that shape billions of lives deserve real accountability.