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Meta Allows Researchers to Study Instagram’s Impact on Teens
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After years of accusations about Instagram’s impact on teens, Meta is now allowing researchers to conduct an in-depth study of the platform’s impacts on young users. The company is planning a small pilot program that will enable researchers to access Instagram usage data to analyze how app usage affects teens. Meta is seeking proposals focusing on research areas such as investigating whether social media use has different effects in different regions of the world. The company will accept up to seven submissions, and researchers will be able to access relevant data from study participants. While some data will remain locked down, the move is aimed at providing more insight into Instagram usage and determining if the platform is harmful for teens.
This initiative comes three years after a report suggested that Meta’s internal research had indicated that Instagram was harmful for teen girls. Many studies have also found negative impacts of Instagram on teens, including negative comparison and bullying. The new research projects will hopefully uncover the truth and help Meta align its policies to offer more protection for young users. The Center for Open Science will operate the Instagram study, ensuring that Meta is not directly responsible for the publication of the results. This move by Meta is a step in a new direction for the company, which has kept its data locked down since the Cambridge Analytica scandal.