Instagram Web Accounts Don't Default to Private, Says Adam Mosseri

Instagram CEO Testifies Before Senate on Teen Mental Health

Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, is currently providing testimony before the Senate regarding the platform's effects on the mental well-being of adolescent users.

This Senate appearance marks his initial time addressing the committee. It is part of a series of hearings initiated following the release of internal Facebook – now Meta – documents by whistleblower Frances Haugen.

These leaked documents revealed the company’s awareness of potential harm to teenage girls.

Instagram's Safety Measures and Implementation Issues

In July, Instagram introduced a measure aimed at enhancing teen user safety. This policy automatically sets the privacy settings to private for all accounts belonging to users under the age of 16.

However, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) highlighted a discrepancy during the hearing. Her team recently created an account for a 15-year-old, and it did not default to a private setting.

She directly questioned Mosseri about the reason for this occurrence.

Mosseri explained, “We default accounts belonging to those under 16 to private settings for the majority of accounts created on Android and iOS platforms.”

He further stated, “We experienced a failure in implementing this feature on the web, and we are working to rectify this issue promptly.”

Oversight and Ongoing Safety Enhancements

The inconsistent implementation of this safety feature represents a considerable oversight for a company striving to demonstrate a proactive stance on protecting its younger user base.

The existence of this loophole for several months without detection is particularly concerning.

In response to increasing legislative scrutiny, Instagram is continually introducing additional safety features.

These include features like “Take a Break” and forthcoming parental controls, scheduled for release in 2022.

Following the disclosures from the whistleblower, Mosseri also paused the development of Instagram Kids, a platform specifically designed for users under the age of 13.

This is a developing story…