Senators set fire to social media after the Wall Street Journal Instagram reported that it was hurting teens.
U.S. lawmakers criticize Facebook’s plan to protect children using social media platforms
The Senate Consumer Protection Subcommittee on Thursday published articles in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on how Facebook learned about the photo-sharing platform, prompting some teenagers, especially girls, to feel bad about their own image.
Among the high-profile questions, Facebook dropped plans to develop Instagram Kids earlier this week, citing concerns that it “needs time to work with parents, professionals, policymakers and supervisors.”
At Thursday’s hearing, Facebook’s head of global security, Antigon Davis, argued that the WSJ’s findings were inaccurate. She also said that the company is working to release more internal research to clarify the findings.
“We are deeply concerned about the safety and security of people in our forum,” Davis said. “We take it very seriously: We have put in place many safeguards to create safe and age-appropriate experiences for 13- to 17-year-olds.
Democrat Sen. Richard Bloomental, however, dismissed the findings as “explosive.”
During the hearing, he said, “Facebook is a powerful, confusing, and misleading evidence that the site is aware of its harmful effects on children and is hiding those facts and findings.”
Democrat Senator Edward Markke added: “Iigh represents Instagram, but it also represents greed.”
‘Very embarrassing’
US Senators from both major parties criticize Facebook and Instagram against the criticism of Facebook and Instagram The comparison of the tobacco industry, which has been owned since 2012, is worth $ 100 billion.
Al Jazeera’s Patty Colene reports from Washington, DC, that the congressional hearing about that were exactly where the congressional hearing about that were coming from.
On Monday, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri also disputed WSJ’s findings.
A recent report from WSJ on our research on teen experiences on Instagram has raised many questions. To be clear, I do not agree with how the Journal reported on our study. ”
But Danny Weiss, chief executive of Common Sense Media, a non-profit group focused on improving the impact of technology on children, said the internal investigation report was indeed a “bomb blast.”
“VS whispered the findings on Facebook and the way it works and Facebook’s attitude towards children and teens – a special group of people who need extra special protection,” Weiss told Al Jazeera. .
He said parents should learn better about what their children do on social media, and that technology companies should do better by reducing access to toxic content on their platforms. “The need for governments to hold technology companies accountable is clear,” Weiss said.
A second hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, with Facebook whispering.
The shooter is expected to reveal his identity in a 60-minute US News interview. In the preview, the show claims to be a former Facebook employee who researched tens of thousands of pages.
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