Facebook testifies on teen safety

A whistleblower from Facebook leaked internal research to The Wall Street Journal showing Facebook knew of reports that 1 in 3 teens said its platforms, mainly the photo-sharing app Instagram, negatively affect their mental health. The research also said that among teens with suicidal thoughts, 13 percent of British users and 6 percent of American users said Instagram was a contributing factor. The Senate consumer protection subcommittee questioned Facebook’s head of global safety, Antigone Davis, on Thursday. Davis rebutted the whistleblower’s claims and offered data in which teens reported that social media use has helped with mental health issues.

What happened at the hearing? Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle said they would seek to update the Children’s Privacy Protection Act and place regulations on Facebook. Senators also expressed concern about Facebook’s privacy policies and a surge of Instagram accounts that bypass parental controls. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said the whistleblower will testify before the subcommittee on Tuesday and asked Davis for assurances that Facebook will not retaliate against employees.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about Facebook pausing development of Instagram for Kids.