Members of the US Congress announced plans to investigate Facebook and the potential negative impact of its social media platforms on young people. The announcement follows a report by the Wall Street Journal claiming that Facebook knew its services could have a harmful effect on some young people and did not open up on the research or address the issues.
The investigation was announced by US Senators Richard Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn, the Democratic Chair and Republican Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security. They said the committee is in contact with a Facebook whistleblower and plan to subpoena additional documents and witness testimony on the matter.
The WSJ report found internal research from Facebook showing that Instagram could have a negative impact on teens, particularly the body image of young women. Some teens also blamed Instagram for an increase in anxiety and depression or even suicidal tendencies. Facebook has not shared the research publicly or with academics.
Over 40 percent of Instagram users are 22 years old or younger. About 22 million teens log onto the platform each day in the US.
In public, Facebook has played down the app’s negative effects on teens. CEO Mark Zuckerberg told a congressional hearing in March that "the research that we’ve seen is that using social apps to connect with other people can have positive mental-health benefits".
The Senators accused Facebook of "a growth-at-all-costs mindset that valued profits over the health and lives of children and teens". Furthermore, the company was not open when questioned by Congress, providing "evasive answers that were misleading and covered up clear evidence of significant harm".
In August, Blumenthal and Blackburn wrote Zuckerberg to ask the company to release its internal research on the potentially harmful impact of its platforms and explain how this research has been used to further promote products to young users. In May, Blumenthal and Blackburn held a hearing on protecting kids online.
In July, Facebook announced new protections for young people on its platforms, including increased privacy controls and restrictions on direct advertising.
