Instagram leader faces skepticism on Capitol Hill

The social site has been criticized because research shows it has a negative impact on kids. Senators did not believe the company’s parental controls will solve the problem.

By Shelly BrisbinDecember 9, 2021 10:43 am, ,

Senators grilled the head of Instagram on Wednesday about the impact of the social media platform on children. Lawmakers have taken bipartisan aim at the photo sharing site, ever since revelations that its parent company Meta – formerly known as Facebook – has conducted research showing harm to teens from prolonged use of the platform.

Just a day before his appearance in Washington, Instagram’s Adam Mosseri rolled out new parental controls for the platform, which will be available next year.

Tech expert Omar Gallaga says the senators noticed, and also pressured Mosseri to commit to ending development of Instagram Kids, a version of the platform for children aged 10-12.

Highlights from this segment:

– Mosseri said Instagram had paused the development of Instagram Kids, but would not commit to ending its development.

– Parental controls, announced the night before the Senate’s Wednesday hearing, would add a timer to Instagram for young users, and a “nudge” to stop scrolling.

– In England, regulators have been pushing child-protection rules that would affect Meta platforms, as well as SnapChat, TikTok and Twitter.

If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it here. Your gift helps pay for everything you find on texasstandard.org and KUT.org. Thanks for donating today.