Facebook to testify on Instagram's positive impact on kids in US Senate hearing
Social media giant Facebook has been under criticism over the internal data that was leaked and reported by the Wall Street Journal
- Sep 30, 2021,
- Updated Sep 30, 2021 4:34 PM IST
Facebook has prepared a testimony to highlight how Instagram looks after the online safety of children
Social media giant Facebook has been under criticism over the internal data that was leaked and reported by the Wall Street Journal. The documents showed how Instagram had a negative impact on the mental health of teenagers. It showed that Facebook was aware of the damage Instagram caused.
Antigone Davis, global head of safety at Facebook, will detail the company's previously announced efforts to better protect children and teens online, including defaulting users under the age of 16 to private accounts when they join Instagram, as per the testimony.
"Our research showed that many teens who are struggling say that Instagram helps them deal with many of the hard issues that are so common to being a teen," Davis's written testimony says.
Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn said in a statement that "Facebook knows that its services are actively harming their young users" and cited Facebook's in-house analysts who "performed a series of deep dives into teen use of Instagram that revealed, 'aspects of Instagram exacerbate each other to create a perfect storm." Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal called the hearing "Protecting Kids Online" following the Wall Street Journal's reporting.
Internal Facebook research shows that among teenage girls who said they had recently felt sadness, 57 percent said Instagram made things better, Davis' prepared remarks show. Among teenage girls who felt loneliness, 51 percent said Instagram had a positive impact, according to the testimony.
Also Read: Facebook Marketplace turns into wild wild west where criminals and hackers rule, says report
Also Read: Facebook publishes research on how Instagram affects teen mental health
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Facebook has prepared a testimony to highlight how Instagram looks after the online safety of children
Social media giant Facebook has been under criticism over the internal data that was leaked and reported by the Wall Street Journal. The documents showed how Instagram had a negative impact on the mental health of teenagers. It showed that Facebook was aware of the damage Instagram caused.
Antigone Davis, global head of safety at Facebook, will detail the company's previously announced efforts to better protect children and teens online, including defaulting users under the age of 16 to private accounts when they join Instagram, as per the testimony.
"Our research showed that many teens who are struggling say that Instagram helps them deal with many of the hard issues that are so common to being a teen," Davis's written testimony says.
Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn said in a statement that "Facebook knows that its services are actively harming their young users" and cited Facebook's in-house analysts who "performed a series of deep dives into teen use of Instagram that revealed, 'aspects of Instagram exacerbate each other to create a perfect storm." Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal called the hearing "Protecting Kids Online" following the Wall Street Journal's reporting.
Internal Facebook research shows that among teenage girls who said they had recently felt sadness, 57 percent said Instagram made things better, Davis' prepared remarks show. Among teenage girls who felt loneliness, 51 percent said Instagram had a positive impact, according to the testimony.
Also Read: Facebook Marketplace turns into wild wild west where criminals and hackers rule, says report
Also Read: Facebook publishes research on how Instagram affects teen mental health
For Unparalleled coverage of India's Businesses and Economy – Subscribe to Business Today Magazine