Sheryl Sandberg says Facebook decided to change its News Feed to favour more "meaningful" connections, after looking at research showing that some kinds of usage of social networks have negative effects.
"What the data shows is not all interactions in social media are good for people in terms of their psychological well-being," said Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer, speaking at Morgan Stanley's 2018 Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on Wednesday.
Facebook in January announced changes to the algorithm it uses to show posts in users' News Feeds to favour content from friends and family, rather than posts from third-party publishers.
The company previously acknowledged studies indicating high levels of usage of social media can lead to depression and feelings isolation.
Critics blasted Facebook for playing a part in the spread of false and misleading news stories, particularly during the 2016 US presidential election.
The company also came under fire for selling ads to a Russia-linked group aimed at sowing political discord among Americans.
According to Sandberg, Facebook continues to take steps to minimise the distribution of fake news and curtail bad actors who try to manipulate the platform.
She said false news is mostly motivated by economics, not political ideology, so "the most important thing we can do is go after economic incentives."
Sandberg also called out the #MeToo movement, and said it was important that men don't shy away from mentoring female coworkers out of fear. She cited surveys finding that men are now less likely to interact or travel with women colleagues, fearing reprisals.
"Not harassing us is important -- but [it's] basic," she said. In addition to not engaging in behavior that never should happen in a workplace, women "need an equal amount of time and attention" in terms of mentoring from male coworkers, she said.
Last year, Facebook raked in revenue of $US40.65 billion ($A56.91 billion) in revenue, up 47 per cent year over year, and net income of $US15.9 billion ($A22.3 billion), up 56 per cent despite negative impact of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in the fourth quarter.
In December 2017, Facebook's daily active user base reached 1.4 billion, versus 1.23 billion a year prior.
