Meta Launches Pilot Program Granting Academic Researchers Limited Access to Instagram Data for Studying Teen and Young Adult Well-Being

Meta Launches Pilot Program Granting Academic Researchers Limited Access to Instagram Data for Studying Teen and Young Adult Well-Being

Meta is launching a small pilot program aimed at academic researchers to study Instagram's impact on the well-being of teens and young adults. After years of fraught relationships with academics, Meta will now allow a select group of researchers to access Instagram data for up to six months.

The company will seek proposals focusing on specific research areas, such as the varying effects of social media use across different regions. Up to seven submissions will be accepted. Approved researchers will access data from study participants, including the number of accounts followed and Instagram usage patterns. However, certain data, like user-demographic information and media content, will remain off-limits. Meta has yet to finalize the complete list of eligible data and clarify if internal information on ads or Instagram's content-sorting algorithm will be included.

This program is conducted in partnership with the Center for Open Science (COS), a nonprofit organization. Researchers will be responsible for recruiting teen participants, obtaining parental consent, and ensuring privacy precautions are in place.