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Senators spent three hours yesterday grilling Facebook’s global security chief Antigone Davis as she tried to defend the company’s approach to managing the mental well-being of children who use its services.
“Facebook took the Big Tobacco playbook,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chair of the Senate Trade Subcommittee on Consumer Protection. “He hid his own research on drug addiction and the toxic effects of his products, he tried to deceive the public and us in Congress about what he knows, and he armed the vulnerabilities of childhood against them. -same. “
The hearings follow a Wall Street Journal investigation that found Facebook was sitting on a cache of research that shows how harmful its products can be to children under 18. The whistleblower documents, which were also transformed in Congress, offer “an in-depth look at Facebook’s relentless campaign to recruit and exploit young users,” Blumenthal said.
“You have lost confidence and we do not trust you to influence our children,” said Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), A leading member of the subcommittee.
Instagram makes teens feel worse
Facebook’s own research shows that Instagram is the cause of mental health issues in a surprising percentage of teens. About 20% of teens in the US and UK said they felt lonely or alone after using Instagram, and among teens who had thoughts of suicide, 6% in the US and 13% in the UK – Uni attributed the origin of these feelings to Instagram.
“We care deeply about the safety and security of people on our platform,” Davis, who testified by video, told the subcommittee. “We take the problem very seriously,” she added. “We have put in place several protections to create safe and age-appropriate experiences for people aged 13 to 17.”
Although Davis said his company would not retaliate against the whistleblower for testifying in Congress, his response left open the possibility of Facebook going after the person for giving them to the media.
Senators were clearly frustrated with Facebook’s lack of transparency. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) focused on the company’s reluctance to share all of its research. For example, in anticipation of the Wall Street Journal presentation, Facebook posted two presentations of its research on Instagram and adolescent mental health. But the Journal published six presentations, revealing much more about Facebook’s research than the company had wanted to share. Davis said the Journal’s slides offered an incomplete or incorrect picture of the company’s work.
Cruz urged Davis to hire the company to publish all of her research, and she opposed it. Cruz pushed further. “You tell us, ‘If only you knew all of the research,’ and at the same time you don’t publish the research. So what is it ? Cruz asked. Davis said Facebook is still evaluating research it might share with the public. “So you picked the ones you want us to see,” said Cruz.
Facebook’s response to Congress “just plain wrong”
Facebook’s selective interpretation of its own research hasn’t been limited to dealing with PR disasters, either. He appeared to take a similar approach when responding to questions Blumenthal and Blackburn sent to CEO Mark Zuckerberg in August. During yesterday’s hearing, one of these questions was a priority for Blumenthal: “Has research on Facebook ever shown that its platforms and products have a negative effect on mental health or well-being? children and adolescents? “
In August, the company replied, “We are not aware of a consensus among studies or experts on too long screen time.”
For Blumenthal, that response and subsequent disclosures and leaks suggested the company was far from available. “This answer was simply wrong. He knows the evidence of harm to teens is substantial and specific to Instagram, ”Blumenthal said.
Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) Pushed Davis to commit to canceling his Instagram app intended for teens. “Do you promise not to launch a site that includes features like like buttons and number of followers that allow kids to quantify popularity? Markey asked.
Davis would not sign up. “These are the types of characteristics that we will be talking about with our experts trying to understand, in fact, what is most age appropriate and what is not, and we will discuss those characteristics with them of course. “she said. .
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