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City Councilor Joe Buscaino on Tuesday, October 5, introduced a motion to have the city withdraw from Facebook, citing privacy concerns and correlations with depression and anxiety.
“Facebook was designed to bring us together, but it tears our world apart,” Buscaino said in a statement.
“Despite knowing that using their platform leads to deteriorating mental health in children and teens, Facebook continues to focus its efforts on bringing pre-teens and teens to its platform. This is one of the many reasons the city of Los Angeles should part ways with Facebook.
The motion was seconded by Council President Nury Martinez, Councilor Monica Rodriguez and Councilors Gil Cedillo and Paul Koretz.
He calls on the city’s three pension fund systems, as well as any other investment entity in the city, to divest from Facebook.
The motion quotes an internal Instagram presentation whereby 32% of teenage girls say that when they feel bad in their bodies, the feeling is exacerbated by Instagram, which is owned by Facebook.
“Instagram makes body image problems worse for one in three girls; teens blame Instagram for increased rates of anxiety and depression. These claims have been proven by internal Facebook analysts, ”the motion said.
Buscaino also expressed privacy concerns in his motion, citing media reports that the platform collects personal information online from children under 13.
Frances Haugen, a former Facebook product manager, testified before Congress on Tuesday after previously releasing documents that showed the company was aware of the problems Facebook and Instagram have caused, including the effects on teenage girls.
Facebook, which did not immediately respond to City News Service, tweeted a statement through its spokesperson Andy Stone following Haugen’s testimony, saying: “We don’t agree with his characterization of the many issues she testified to. Despite all of this, we agree on one thing; it’s time to start creating standard rules for the Internet.
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