Instagram Head Adam Mosseri to Testify on Teen Mental Health - Updates

Instagram Head to Testify Before Senate on Teen Safety

Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, is scheduled to appear before the Senate for the first time. This testimony is part of a series of hearings focused on ensuring the online safety of children and adolescents. According to reports from The New York Times, the hearing is set to occur during the week of December 6th.

Request for Testimony

Mosseri’s forthcoming appearance follows a request from Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). The Senator addressed a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook (now Meta), requesting either his or Mosseri’s participation in a Senate hearing regarding these critical issues.

Mosseri acknowledged the news with a video statement. He addressed the increasing anxieties surrounding teen safety in the digital sphere. He then detailed previous measures Instagram has implemented to safeguard younger users.

Instagram’s Prior Safety Measures

• Accounts for younger teenagers are now private by default.
• Restrictions have been placed on the types of advertisements shown to young users.

“I will be discussing these matters with Congress in the near future,” Mosseri stated. “We share common objectives; the safety of young people online is a priority for all of us.”

Previous Senate Scrutiny

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation reacted strongly to reports in September concerning Instagram’s awareness of its potential negative effects on teenage girls.

Initially, the committee questioned Antigone Davis, Facebook’s Global Head of Security, who proved hesitant to provide direct answers. Weeks later, Frances Haugen, a former civic integrity product manager and Facebook whistleblower, testified before the committee.

Haugen provided thousands of internal documents, known as the “Facebook Papers.” During her testimony, she asserted that Facebook prioritizes profits over the well-being of its users.

Senator Blumenthal’s Concerns

“I am concerned by Facebook’s lack of full transparency with myself, other members of Congress, and the public,” Senator Blumenthal, who chairs the Senate committee, expressed. “It appears vital information regarding teen mental health and addiction has been concealed. The responses provided to my August letter regarding Instagram and teens were clearly evasive and misleading, as directly refuted by Ms. Haugen.”

Focus on Instagram’s Impact

Following hearings with executives from Snap, TikTok, and YouTube last month, the committee will now hear from Instagram’s leader directly. The committee has shown significant concern regarding Instagram’s potential link to the development of eating disorders in adolescents.

Mosseri is anticipated to be questioned about internal studies conducted by Meta concerning Instagram’s impact on teenage girls.

Findings of Internal Studies

An internal study, initially obtained by The Wall Street Journal and subsequently released by Meta, revealed that Instagram exacerbates body image issues for one in three teenage girls. Furthermore, teens attribute increases in anxiety and depression to their Instagram usage.

The study also indicated that 6% of teens experiencing suicidal thoughts linked their desire to die by suicide to Instagram. Additionally, 32% of surveyed teenage girls reported that Instagram worsened their feelings of dissatisfaction with their bodies.

Pausing Instagram Kids

In the wake of these leaked documents, Mosseri announced a pause in the development of Instagram Kids. Meta already offers products like Messenger Kids, designed for users under 13 to communicate with parent-approved contacts.

“We remain committed to developing this experience,” Mosseri explained. “However, we’ve decided to pause this project to allow time to collaborate with parents, experts, policymakers, and regulators. This will enable us to address their concerns and demonstrate the value of this project for younger teens online.”

Ongoing Concerns and Criticism

Despite these actions, critics remain doubtful about Meta’s capacity to responsibly develop an Instagram Kids product. Recent research suggests that Facebook may continue to monitor teenagers for targeted advertising purposes.

Senator Blumenthal reiterated his call for accountability in a letter to Zuckerberg. “It is urgent and necessary for you or Mr. Adam Mosseri to testify to clarify the situation and provide Congress and parents with a plan to protect our children,” he wrote.