A group of US senators say they’ll find out.
Members of the U.S. Senate have vowed to investigate Instagram’s negative impact on the self-esteem of young users after a recent report showed that the platform’s parent company, Facebook, knew but didn’t disclose how the image-sharing platform is harmful to teen users.
Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn, the chair and ranking member of the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, announced intent to launch a bipartisan probe into Facebook’s knowledge of its platforms’ negative impact on teenagers. The probe is expected to begin next month.
The announcement comes days after a Wall Street Journal report revealed that an internal study launched by the social media giant found that one out of three teenage girls who used Instagram say the platform made them feel worse about their bodies. The leaked study also found that among teens who reported suicidal thoughts, “13% of British users and 6% of American users traced the desire to kill themselves to Instagram.”
In a joint statement the senators wrote….
“It is clear that Facebook is incapable of holding itself accountable. The Wall Street Journal’s reporting reveals Facebook’s leadership to be focused on a growth-at-all-costs mindset that valued profits over the health and lives of children and teens.”