Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Facebook's Role In Teen Trauma To Be Focus Of Senate Hearing
The New York Times: Facebook To Face Senate Grilling Over Instagram's Effects On Teens
Antigone Davis, Facebook’s global head of safety, is expected to face harsh questioning from senators on Thursday morning about Instagram’s effect on teenagers, addressing accusations that Facebook has known for years that its photo-sharing app has caused mental and emotional harm. The hearing, which starts at 10, is the first of two that the Senate’s consumer protection subcommittee will hold on the effect that Facebook has on young people. The second, on Tuesday, will be with a whistle-blower who has shared information about Facebook’s research on teenagers. (Kang, 9/30)
The Washington Post: Facebook Attempts To Minimize Its Own Research Ahead Of Children’s Safety Hearings
Facebook late Wednesday released heavily annotated documents discounting its own research into user harm — an attempt to deflect criticism as lawmakers gear up to deliver the company a harsh rebuke on Capitol Hill. The research decks, one called “Hard Life Moments — Mental Health Deep Dive” and another called “Teen Mental Health Deep Dive,” feature internal research into Instagram’s effects on adults’ and teens’ mental health. (Zakrzewski and Lerman, 9/30)
AP: Foes United Vs Facebook Over Instagram's Effect On Teens
Political adversaries in Congress are united in outrage against Facebook for privately compiling information that its Instagram photo-sharing service appears to grievously harm some teens, especially girls, while publicly downplaying the popular platform’s negative impact. Mounting public pressure over the revelations have prompted Facebook to put on hold its work on a kids’ version of Instagram, which the company says is meant mainly for tweens aged 10 to 12. But it’s just a pause. (Gordon, 9/30)
The Wall Street Journal: Facebook’s Documents About Instagram And Teens, Published
Facebook Inc. is scheduled to testify at a Senate hearing on Thursday about its products’ effects on young people’s mental health. The hearing in front of the Commerce Committee’s consumer-protection subcommittee was prompted by a mid-September article in The Wall Street Journal. Based on internal company documents, it detailed Facebook’s internal research on the negative impact of its Instagram app on teen girls and others. (9/29)
