How Instagram is trying to prove it’s not bad for young people’s health

Instagram, the application of the Meta group, will open its data to a team of researchers working on the impact of the network on the mental health of young people.

Instagram partners with Center for Open Science (COS) to open its data to a research team tasked with studying the platform’s effects on the mental health of adolescents and young adults.

An independent study

The Center for Open Science (COS), based in the United States, will have access to Instagram data for up to six months for this study. The aim of this research program is to produce up to seven independent studies on the relationships that adolescents have with social networks.

Meta says it will provide information that may include the number of accounts the teen follows, their Instagram usage, and their settings, but will not provide access to user demographics or the content of their posts, comments, or messages. Instagram also says it will not be involved in the research process, we report. The VergeThe data obtained by the COS will be supplemented by surveys to better understand the well-being of young people.

A European concern

This research is not only important across the Atlantic. On May 16, 2024, Thierry BretonEuropean Commissioner, opened an investigation into the Meta group, expressing concern about the effect that Facebook and Instagram could have on the mental health of young people. The Commissioner stated at the time:

“We are not convinced that Meta has done enough (…) to limit the risks of negative effects on the mental and physical health of young European users on its Facebook and Instagram platforms”

This is not the first time that Instagram has been accused of being dangerous for a young audience. In 2017, a study conducted in the United Kingdom indicated that Instagram was one of the networks with Snapchat that had the worst consequences on the mental health of young people. The study then mentioned phenomena of FoMo, in other words the fear of missing out on something, or even harassment.