Internal communications from Meta Platforms Inc., TikTok, Snap Inc. and YouTube, revealed in a 5,807-page federal court filing unsealed this month, show employees describing their own platforms as an “addictive drug” for teens. An
email attributed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg states, “If we tell teens’ parents and teachers about their live videos, that will probably ruin the product from the start.” Expert reports submitted with
the filing link platform features to serious youth risks such as eating disorders and suicidal thoughts, findings the companies’ own internal research had already flagged.