A Facebook internal research showed that 1 in 8 of its users has reported compulsive social media use that has taken its toll on their sleep, work, and relationships. This ratio amounts to 12.5% of users, who reported that they felt Facebook was more of a problem than other social media platforms.

These patterns of what the company calls ‘problematic use’ reflect what is popularly known as internet addiction, the Wall Street Journal reported. 

A Facebook team once focused on user well-being and suggested ways to curb problematic use, some of which were applied, but the company shut down the team in 2019, according to the WSJ.

However, Pratiti Raychoudhury, a vice president of research for Meta, considered that the WSJ, as usual, misrepresented the research.

She says the company “has been engaged and supportive throughout our multiyear effort to better understand and empower people who use our services to manage problematic use. That’s why this work has taken place over multiple years, including now.” Raychoudhury argues that “problematic use does not equal addiction,” and that the company provides “features to help people manage their experiences on our apps and services.”

It is worth noting that this report is based on the internal documents provided by whistleblower Frances Haugen, which suggests Facebook is aware of the problems its platforms can cause. Another report suggested that Facebook knew that its Instagram platform was toxic for teenage users. 

Haugen testified before Congress on October 5, saying Facebook was “internally dysfunctional,” and that it was unlikely to change its behaviors without action from external regulators.