Society
Meta Knew Instagram Harmed Teen Girls But Targeted Them Anyway, Psychologist Says
The Checkup with Doctor Mike
A Brutally Honest Conversation About Gen Z | Dr. Ali Mattu
"Meta knew the dangers of their product for those vulnerable people. They did the research themselves. They knew that certain groups of people, particularly these young girls, particularly around puberty, particularly around body image and comparisons, they were vulnerable for very, very negative things around eating disorders. They knew this and then they still sent emails about what's our growth strategy with this population."
Dr. Ali Mattu accused Meta of knowingly targeting teenage girls for growth despite internal research showing Instagram caused eating disorders and body image crises in this demographic. He compared Meta's behavior to tobacco companies advertising to children, arguing both industries prioritized profit over documented harms. This represents one of the strongest public accusations from a psychologist regarding Big Tech's ethics.
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The Checkup with Doctor Mike