Facebook official says company does not benefit underage users

Facebook’s global chief safety officer defended the company against accusations it harms children’s mental health during a Senate hearing on Thursday, pushing back claims the social media giant exploits young users at for profit.

The hearing before the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Data Security marked the first congressional testimony from a Facebook executive since a recent Wall Street Journal. investigation discovered that the company was aware that its products were harmful to underage users. The article cited internal Facebook research showing that the company’s products worsened body image problems for a third of teenage girls and prompted suicidal thoughts in 6% of all teenage users.

“We now know that Facebook consistently puts profits ahead of children’s online safety,” said subcommittee chairman Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, in his opening speech.

Blumenthal accused Facebook of using the tobacco industry’s playbook, saying the company “tried to deceive the public and us in Congress about what it knows, and it has armed the vulnerabilities of childhood against the children themselves “.

“He chose growth over mental health and the well-being of children, greed over the prevention of child suffering,” he added.

Antigone Davis, Facebook’s head of global security, defended the research, which Facebook published in a version annotated Wednesday. The slides include headlines such as “We’re making body image problems worse for 1 in 3 teenage girls” and show that a significant percentage of underage users have been exposed to negative experiences on Facebook and Instagram.

Challenging the Wall Street Journal’s findings, Davis said Facebook and Instagram users report that social media has helped them deal with stressful issues such as loneliness, body image issues and anxiety.

“Out of 11 of the 12 issues, teenage girls who said they struggled with these issues… said Instagram was helping them in a positive way, not making it worse,” Davis said.

She also said Facebook’s products were a “lifeline” at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, when schools were closed and most face-to-face meetings were impossible.

Davis said the research did not apply to all children and teens using Facebook and Instagram, but only to those who had previously reported having had difficult experiences.

“We recognize how important it is to get it right, we’ve heard your concerns,” Davis said.

“That first childhood cigarette”

Questions about the effects of social media on children prompted Facebook last week to suspend plans to develop a version of Instagram for children under the age of 13. But despite repeated questions from lawmakers, Davis didn’t want to say how long this hiatus will last or who in the company will decide when to relaunch the project.

“What we intend to do at this point is take a step back, talk with more parents, engage with more decision makers like you, and engage with more experts,” Davis said. .

Massachusetts Democrat Ed Markey urged Facebook to do away with Instagram Kids altogether, calling it worse than a high school popularity contest and as addictive as tobacco.

“Instagram is that first childhood cigarette meant to get teens hooked, really harnessing the peer pressure of popularity and ultimately putting their health at risk,” Markey said.

Markey asked Davis to promise that the company’s app for kids wouldn’t include any “Like” buttons, number of followers, or posts from influencers who often sell products while featuring evident their own lavish lifestyle.

Davis would not engage in such a commitment, saying Facebook would address those concerns.

Marsha Blackburn, Republican from Tennessee and panel member, asked Facebook to provide Congress with a copy of the parental consent form it needs before collecting data on underage users and urged the company to commit to not retaliate against employees anonymously sharing information with Congress.

Next Tuesday, the same Senate subcommittee is due to hear testimony from a Facebook whistleblower on the company’s work to create an Instagram for kids.

“We would never retaliate against anyone who comes in for speaking to Congress,” Davis said, adding, “It’s just not who we are.”

Facebook failed, senator says

Davis did not respond to repeated questions about how Facebook assesses the financial worth of its underage users and how much of the company’s income comes from underage people, instead stating “this is not how we create products.” . She also rebuffed claims that her technology was addictive, highlighting features that allow users to track their time on the app.

Davis’s promise that Facebook would post more internal searches to Instagram Kids was met with skepticism by panel members.

“One of the most disheartening parts of your testimony is that you are relying on your past of transparency for what you will do in the future,” Blumenthal told Davis. “There are thousands of documents that we have just because a whistleblower has come forward. Documents that show your own findings.”

He added: “The file so far says that Facebook has failed to hold itself accountable.”

Irina Ivanova of CBS News contributed reporting.