Lawmakers investigate Instagram after report makes teens suicidal

Democratic lawmakers are calling on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to drop his plans to start an “Instagram for Kids,” citing internal company research saying the platform has ignited mental health issues, including suicidal ideation, among its adolescent users; especially young girls.

The demand comes as key lawmakers on the Senate Trade Committee announcement plans to investigate the company with the help of a “Facebook whistleblower.”

“Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable populations online, and these findings paint a clear and devastating picture of Instagram as an app that poses a significant threat to the well-being of young people,” lawmakers said.

The letter is signed by Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Representatives Kathy Castor and Lori Trahan of Florida and Massachusetts, respectively.

The the Wall Street newspaper revealed Tuesday that researchers at Instagram had studied the impact of the photo-sharing app on the lives of its millions of young users. The researchers concluded that a significant percentage of teenage girls believed the app was responsible for mental health issues related to their self-image.

“We make body image problems worse for one in three teenage girls,” the researchers wrote in a slide presentation posted on Facebook’s internal bulletin board and obtained by the Journal.

According to one slide, 32% of teenage girls said the app made them feel worse about their bodies. Among those who had suicidal thoughts, “13% of UK users and 6% of US users attributed their desire to kill themselves to Instagram,” the Journal reported, citing another presentation.

In the United States, 22 million teens use Instagram daily, according to the newspaper.

Facebook, which claims to host the collaboration with Congress, declined to make the research available to lawmakers, saying its data is proprietary. Reached by Gizmodo, a Facebook spokesperson said the company would not comment on the letter.

Members of the Senate Commerce Committee said Facebook has proven unable to hold itself accountable, saying its “growth at any cost” approach puts profits before “the health and lives of children and adolescents.”

“When given the opportunity to clearly tell us what he knew about Instagram’s impact on young users, Facebook provided evasive responses that were misleading and withheld clear evidence of significant harm. “said lawmakers.

Markey, Castor and Trahan said Wednesday that the once-secret documents underscore Facebook’s “responsibility to fundamentally change its approach to engaging with children and teens online.” The company could start doing so, they said, by dropping plans to launch an Instagram app targeting children directly.

“As the internet, and especially social media, becomes more and more entrenched in the lives of children and teens, we are deeply concerned that your business continues to fail in its obligation to protect young users. and has not yet committed to ending its plans to launch new platforms. targeting children and adolescents, ”the lawmaker’s letter told Zuckerberg.

BuzzFeed News revealed in March that Facebook was planning to create a version of Instagram aimed at children under 13. Instagram manager Adam Mosseri confirmed that the company was exploring the idea at the time.

Facebook presented the concept as a “solution” to the challenges of age verification on its platforms; a platform with enhanced controls and transparency for parents. Critics say the trillion dollar company is driven solely by profit and the desire to attract young children to its products at an earlier age so they can be monetized as users on the market. road, much like YouTube Kids currently drives young users to its 13+ platform.

Almost all of Facebook’s profits come from advertisements that target its users based on an analysis of their online habits.

The lawmakers’ letter further asked Zuckerberg specific questions, such as whether he had personally reviewed research into the psychological damage caused by Instagram. Zuckerberg was also asked to disclose any future plans for his company to target children and to reveal how long Facebook has been studying the impact of its products on adolescent mental health.

“In light of this new evidence, we urge you to cease all efforts to launch new platforms for children or adolescents,” lawmakers said.

You can read the full letter from Markey’s office embedded below.