State attorneys general launch investigation into Meta-owned Instagram's impact on kids
A bipartisan group of 10 state attorneys general have launched an investigation into Meta, the social media company formerly known as Facebook, focused on the potential harms of its Instagram platform on children and teens.
The announcement follows extensive reporting on a trove of internal documents leaked by whistleblower Frances Haugen. Some of those documents show that the company's own researchers have found that Instagram can damage young users' mental health and body image, and can exacerbate dangerous behaviors such as eating disorders.
The attorneys general say they will look into whether, by continuing to provide and promote Instagram despite knowing of the potential harms, Meta violated consumer protection laws and "put the public at risk." The states involved include California, Florida, Kentucky and Vermont.
"Facebook, now Meta, has failed to protect young people on its platforms and instead chose to ignore or, in some cases, double down on known manipulations that pose a real threat to physical and mental health -- exploiting children in the interest of profit," Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who is co-leading the investigation, said in a statement. She added that the coalition hopes to "get to the bottom of this company's engagement with young users, identify any unlawful practices, and end these abuses for good."
Meta (FB) spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement that the allegations made by the attorneys general are false and said they "demonstrate a deep misunderstanding of the facts." He also noted that the company plans to launch features to help teens regulate their use of Instagram, such as a "Take a Break" reminder, which was announced in October amid intense scrutiny.
"While challenges in protecting young people online impact the entire industry, we've led the industry in combating bullying and supporting people struggling with suicidal thoughts, self-injury, and eating disorders," the statement reads. "We continue to develop parental supervision controls and are exploring ways to provide even more age-appropriate experiences for teens by default."
The investigation is the latest escalation of regulatory pressure on Meta related to findings from the leaked internal documents, which have come to be known as the Facebook Papers. Earlier this week, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed a lawsuit against the company alleging that it misled the public about its algorithm and the harms its apps can cause to users, causing losses for shareholders when those things were revealed. (Meta says the suit is without merit.)
Senator Richard Blumenthal has also asked Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify about the effects of Instagram on children.
The Wall Street Journal first reported in September on what the company's own documents and research show about the potential harms to young people from its apps, and said Facebook knew Instagram was "toxic" for teen girls. In one internal report from 2019 on the mental health effects of Instagram cited by the Journal and reviewed by CNN Business, company researchers said "we make body image issues worse for 1 in 3 teen girls." Meta has also pushed back on the Journal's reporting, and said its apps do more good than harm.
Following the Journal's report, a Senate subcommittee called a hearing with Facebook head of global safety Antigone Davis, where lawmakers grilled her on Instagram's effects on kids. Davis said the company was "looking for ways to release more research" that she suggested might paint a different picture about the platform. Haugen has also testified to lawmakers that she believes Meta's platforms "harm children, stoke division, and weaken our democracy."
The company announced it was pausing plans to develop a version of Instagram designed for kids in late September, amid the fallout from the Journal report.
"While we stand by the need to develop this experience, we've decided to pause this project," Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, wrote in a blog post at the time. "This will give us time to work with parents, experts, policymakers and regulators, to listen to their concerns, and to demonstrate the value and importance of this project for younger teens online today."
州检察长对 Meta 拥有的 Instagram 对儿童的影响展开调查
一个由 10 位州检察长组成的两党小组已对 Meta 展开调查，Meta 是一家前身为 Facebook 的社交媒体公司，重点关注其 Instagram 平台对儿童和青少年的潜在危害。
该公告是在对举报人弗朗西斯·豪根 (Frances Haugen) 泄露的大量内部文件进行广泛报道之后发布的。其中一些文件显示，该公司自己的研究人员发现 Instagram 会损害年轻用户的心理健康和身体形象，并可能加剧饮食失调等危险行为。
总检察长表示，他们将调查，尽管 Meta 知道潜在的危害，但继续提供和推广 Instagram 是否违反了消费者保护法并“将公众置于危险之中”。涉及的州包括加利福尼亚州、佛罗里达州、肯塔基州和佛蒙特州。
“Facebook，现在是 Meta，未能保护其平台上的年轻人，而是选择忽略或在某些情况下加倍关注对身心健康构成真正威胁的已知操纵——为了利润而剥削儿童，”马萨诸塞州总检察长毛拉希利在一份声明中说，他是调查的共同领导者。她补充说，该联盟希望“深入了解该公司与年轻用户的接触，识别任何非法行为，并永远结束这些滥用行为。”
Meta (FB) 发言人安迪·斯通在一份声明中表示，总检察长的指控是错误的，并表示他们“表现出对事实的深刻误解”。他还指出，该公司计划推出一些功能来帮助青少年规范他们对 Instagram 的使用，例如“休息一下”提醒，该提醒于 10 月在严格审查中宣布。
声明中写道：“虽然保护在线年轻人的挑战影响了整个行业，但我们在打击欺凌和支持与自杀念头、自残和饮食失调作斗争的人们方面处于领先地位。” “我们继续开发家长监督控制，并正在探索默认情况下为青少年提供更适合其年龄的体验的方法。”
这项调查是 Meta 监管压力的最新升级，与泄露的内部文件的调查结果有关，这些文件后来被称为 Facebook 文件。本周早些时候，俄亥俄州总检察长戴夫·约斯特 (Dave Yost) 对该公司提起诉讼，指控该公司在其算法及其应用程序可能对用户造成的伤害方面误导了公众，当这些事情被披露时，给股东造成了损失。 （Meta 说这毫无价值。）
参议员理查德布卢门撒尔还要求 Meta 首席执行官马克扎克伯格就 Instagram 对儿童的影响作证。
《华尔街日报》于 9 月首次报道了该公司自己的文件和研究表明其应用程序对年轻人的潜在危害，并表示 Facebook 知道 Instagram 对少女来说是“有毒的”。在 2019 年《华尔街日报》引用并由 CNN Business 审查的一份关于 Instagram 对心理健康影响的内部报告中，公司研究人员表示，“我们使三分之一的少女的身体形象问题变得更糟。” Meta 还反驳了《华尔街日报》的报道，并表示其应用程序利大于弊。
在《华尔街日报》报道之后，参议院小组委员会召集了 Facebook 全球安全负责人安提戈涅·戴维斯 (Antigone Davis) 的听证会，议员们在会上就 Instagram 对儿童的影响对她进行了质询。戴维斯表示，该公司正在“寻找发布更多研究的方法”，她认为这可能会描绘出有关该平台的不同画面。 Haugen 还向立法者作证说，她认为 Meta 的平台“伤害儿童、引发分裂并削弱我们的民主”。
该公司宣布，由于《华尔街日报》报道的影响，它在 9 月下旬暂停了开发专为儿童设计的 Instagram 版本的计划。
“虽然我们支持开发这种体验的必要性，但我们决定暂停这个项目，”Instagram 负责人 Adam Mosseri 当时在一篇博客文章中写道。 “这将使我们有时间与家长、专家、政策制定者和监管机构合作，倾听他们的担忧，并展示该项目对当今在线青少年的价值和重要性。”
