Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Political Spotlight Falls On Facebook's Potential Damaging Impact On Teens
The Wall Street Journal: Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic For Teen Girls, Company Documents Show
About a year ago, teenager Anastasia Vlasova started seeing a therapist. She had developed an eating disorder, and had a clear idea of what led to it: her time on Instagram. She joined the platform at 13, and eventually was spending three hours a day entranced by the seemingly perfect lives and bodies of the fitness influencers who posted on the app. “When I went on Instagram, all I saw were images of chiseled bodies, perfect abs and women doing 100 burpees in 10 minutes,” said Ms. Vlasova, now 18, who lives in Reston, Va. (Wells, Horwitz and Seetharaman, 9/14)
The Wall Street Journal: Senators Seek Answers From Facebook After WSJ Report On Instagram’s Impact On Young Users
Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn said they would launch a probe into Facebook Inc.’s internal research on the way its Instagram photo- and video-sharing service affects young users, prompted by a Wall Street Journal investigation that showed the company knew the app was harmful to some in that group. The Democratic chairman and ranking Republican on the Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security Subcommittee on Tuesday also said that they were in touch with someone they identified as “a Facebook whistleblower” and “will use every resource at our disposal to investigate what Facebook knew and when they knew it—including seeking further documents and pursuing witness testimony.” In the statement, the senators said, “The Wall Street Journal’s blockbuster reporting may only be the tip of the iceberg.” (Seetharaman, 9/14)
Bloomberg: Facebook’s Risks For Young People Add To Bipartisan Backlash
Facebook Inc. is facing renewed fury from Washington after reports suggested the company knew, but didn’t disclose, that its Instagram platform could pose risks to teenagers. The report from the Wall Street Journal citing Facebook’s own internal research gives fuel to politicians who have pledged to hold social media companies accountable for their impact on mental health, civil discourse and democracy. While previous rounds of outrage over issues such as the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal haven’t dented Facebook’s business model or profitability, this backlash could bring Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg and other company executives back to testify before Congress about the shortcomings. (Edgerton, 9/14)
In related news about social media and how it affects mental health —
Bloomberg: TikTok Unveils Tools In App To Tackle Mental-Health Issues
TikTok, the video-sharing app owned by China’s ByteDance Ltd., said it’s stepping up tools to support users facing mental health issues, including redirecting potentially distressed users to suicide-prevention or eating-disorder resources. When users search the app for terms like “suicide,” TikTok will point them to local support organizations such as the Crisis Text Line to find treatment, the company said Tuesday in a blog post. TikTok also plans to promote videos of content creators talking about their mental health challenges and will offer advice on how to talk to loved ones about these issues. (Nix, 9/14)
