Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram has agreed to testify before Congress on the impact of the app on children at the consumer protection subcommittee of the Senate’s Commerce Committee on December 6, 2021. New York Times reports that led by Senator Richard Blumenthal, Mr. Mosseri will be part of a series of hearings on protecting children online.
The global head of safety for Meta, Antigone Davis, and former Meta employee turned whistle-blower, Frances Haugen will also be testifying before the committee. Earlier, Ms. Haugen testified that Facebook’s internal research on the impact of Instagram on children revealed damning findings. The lifestyle portrayal and body images on social media have caused anxiety, eating disorders, and other mental and health issues in up to 20% of teen girls. The impact has even led to an increase in the suicide rate among teens. Sadly, Instagram owned by Meta (former Facebook) choose to not create any safeguard to protect young children online.
Adam Mosseri to discuss the measure taken by Instagram for the safety of children at the Congressional hearing
As per the report, Senator Blumenthal wants to hear from Mr. Mosseri about the leaked internal research and protective measures his company is working on for children’s safety online. He said:
“He’s the top guy at Instagram, and the whole nation is asking about why Instagram and other tech platforms have created so much danger and damage by driving toxic content to children with these immensely powerful algorithms. The hearing will be critically significant in guiding us to develop laws that can have an impact on making platforms safer.”
A spokeswoman at Meta, Dani Lever confirmed Mr. Mosseri’s attendance at the hearing and said that “we continue to work with the committee to find a date for Adam to testify on the important steps Instagram is taking.”
Furthermore, in partnership with other attorneys general, Attorney General Josh Shapiro has also launched a nationwide investigation into Meta (former Facebook) for promoting Instagram in a way that puts children and young adults at harm. The probe will also focus on the violation of consumer protection laws by Meta for using techniques to encourage prolonged engagement on its social media platforms.
