Senators Demand Documents on Meta Research
A bipartisan coalition of U.S. Senators has penned a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms , seeking documentation regarding the company’s research on the potential harm its social media platforms pose to children.
The demand comes in the wake of a 2021 whistleblower’s disclosure, which exposed Meta’s knowledge that Instagram, initially a photo-sharing app, had addictive qualities and exacerbated body image concerns among some teenage girls.
In the letter, the senators expressed frustration over Meta’s repeated failure to provide satisfactory information regarding its awareness of threats to young users and the corresponding protective measures taken. The senators accused Meta of stonewalling and offering evasive or misleading responses to previous inquiries.
The senators’ missive comes on the heels of a recent hearing featuring a new whistleblower and the unsealing of a complaint filed by the Massachusetts Attorney General. Disclosures revealed in the complaint suggest that Meta executives possessed direct knowledge of the harm associated with their products and intentionally concealed this information from both Congress and the public. This aligns with the testimony of former executive Arturo Béjar before a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee.
Meta has yet to respond to the senators’ request for comment. Meanwhile, numerous U.S. states are pursuing legal action against Meta and its Instagram unit, alleging that their social media platforms contribute to a mental health crisis among youth by fostering addiction.
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