Facebook Has Been Chastised For Its Negative Effects On Children's Mental Health.

It comes after a leak revealed how Instagram's research showed that the platform could be endangering the well-being of children. Earlier, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri said the app's impact on teens' mental health was "minimal." The committee found by repeating Facebook's research - first reported by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) - that Instagram can negatively impact body image and self-esteem.

Teens "blame Instagram for increasing anxiety and depression," he said.

But Ms. Davis told the committee, "We conducted this study to improve our platform, minimize the bad and maximize the good and proactively identify where we can improve. "We want our platform to be a place for meaningful interactions with friends and family, and we can't achieve that goal if people don't feel safe."

"Unjustified Criminals"

However, Richard Blumenthal, chair of the Senate subcommittee on commerce, science, and transportation for consumer protection, product security, and data security, stressed that Facebook denied in August that it was aware of the investigation with negative connections. "We know that they prioritize the growth of their products over the welfare of our children," he said.

"He can't hold me accountable, and the question that haunts me is how we, parents or anyone else, can trust Facebook." "It's not true that this study suggests Instagram is 'toxic' to teenage girls," study leader Pratiti Reichudhuri wrote in a blog post.

"Research shows that many of the teens we heard of believed that using Instagram would help them as they grappled with the tough times and problems that teens have always faced." But Facebook, which posted a slide to illustrate its research, admits: "The exception is body image."

An image with caption, Facebook posts some of its research on the blog

One in three teenage girls who already have body image problems told Facebook that using Instagram made them feel worse. Specifically, filtered images, posting selfies, and viewing content with hashtags all affect well-being, suggests Slides.

It comes just days after the company suspended plans to launch Instagram Kids, which was set to roll out this year to users under 13.

"As every parent knows, children and loved ones are now online," Davis told the committee. "We believe that parents should give twins access to a version of Instagram designed for them, where parents can control and manage their experience - rather than letting them lie about their age to have access to the platform." it's not "not built for them. "

Davis said Instagram is also testing a Take a Break feature, which "will encourage someone to take a break" from its screens. It displays "when we think [users] may be a rabbit hole and have a certain type of content or have been in the app too long."

The whistleblower, who leaked the documents to the Wall Street Journal, will testify in a separate hearing next week. In addition, the commission said it would seek interviews with other social media about children's mental health dangers.