Whistleblower Says Meta Execs Knew Social Media Can Harm Kids

November 7, 2023 by Tom Ramstack
Whistleblower Says Meta Execs Knew Social Media Can Harm Kids
Meta's Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Georgetown University. (Photo by Dan McCue)

WASHINGTON — A whistleblower former employee of Meta Platforms Inc. told a Senate panel Tuesday that top executives of the social media giant knew their Facebook platform harmed young people but covered it up to avoid interfering with their profits.

He said he showed statistics to the corporate executives demonstrating teens and children often suffered depression after being subjected to online bullying, sexual solicitation and body shaming.

Some of them were driven to suicide, said Arturo Bejar, former director of engineering for Facebook’s Protect and Care program.

Awareness by Meta executives Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg and others of the harm to children showed, “It meant that they knew and they were not acting on it,” he said. “It is time for Congress to act.”

Senators on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law used Bejar’s testimony as an example of why they want to pass the proposed Kids Online Safety Act.

The bill pending in the Senate seeks to protect minors from abuses on social media platforms. It authorizes state attorneys general to enforce it, such as through lawsuits.

The bill would require Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms to install settings and algorithms that restrict access to minors’ personal data and to give parents tools to control privacy settings for accounts used by their children.

Other provisions require social media to refrain from advertising to children for age-restricted products or services, such as cigarettes and online gambling. They also would have to report to the federal government annually on foreseeable risks of harm to minors from using their platforms.

Social media platforms, along with anti-censorship groups, oppose the kinds of restrictions found in the Kids Online Safety Act. They say the greater risk is that it would lead to increased government surveillance of online free speech and censorship of artists’ work.

As a result, more people would be driven away from the social interaction and easy access to information they find on the sites, according to critics of a government crackdown. They sometimes call themselves the “Don’t Delete Art” movement.

In the third quarter of this year, the number of Facebook users worldwide is about 3.05 billion. Use of the platform rose 0.63% from the previous quarter and 3.08% year over year.

Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, reported $116 billion in revenue last year. Most of it, or $113.6 billion, was generated by advertising.

The advertising rates depend on the number of Facebook users.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said she doubted Facebook’s claims that it made sincere efforts to protect children from online information that might lead to mental depression.

“It has to be because they were motivated by profit,” Blackburn said.

The renewed effort in the Senate to clamp down on alleged abuses of social media is partly an outgrowth of a lawsuit filed against Meta by state attorneys general two weeks ago.

Forty-two state attorneys general sued Meta for allegedly endangering children with addictive features on its Facebook and Instagram media platforms.

The lawsuit says Meta designed its algorithms, alerts, notifications and infinite scroll features to keep kids using the media platforms longer and to return frequently. Other features, such as photo filters, promote the depression associated with body dysmorphia, the attorneys general say.

The lawsuits seek an injunction against Meta to halt the features they say hurt the mental health of kids as well as restitution and penalties.

During the Senate hearing Tuesday, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Congress would have taken action previously to rein in Facebook and Instagram’s dominance of social media, but their huge lobbying effort always stopped legislative reforms.

“Big Tech is the big kid on the block when it comes to this issue,” Durbin said.

Meta released a statement after the lawsuit was filed saying, “We share the attorneys general’s commitment to providing teens with safe, positive experiences online, and have already introduced over 30 tools to support teens and their families.”

You can reach us at [email protected] and follow us on Facebook and Twitter

A+
a-
  • Facebook
  • mental health
  • Meta
  • Social Media
  • suicide
  • young people
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Mental Health

    December 6, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    House Unanimously Passes Bill to Increase Mental Health Resources for Veterans’ Caregivers

    WASHINGTON — The House on Monday unanimously passed the Caregiver Outreach and Program Enhancement Act, which would increase mental health... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The House on Monday unanimously passed the Caregiver Outreach and Program Enhancement Act, which would increase mental health resources available to caregivers of America’s veteran population. Alternately known as the COPE Act, the bipartisan legislation sponsored by Reps. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., and Jen Kiggans,... Read More

    November 15, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    Dr. Ruth Named NY’s First Ambassador to Loneliness

    ALBANY, N.Y. — Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the iconic media personality who rocketed to fame as the nation’s sex therapist in... Read More

    ALBANY, N.Y. — Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the iconic media personality who rocketed to fame as the nation’s sex therapist in the 1980s, now has a new title to add to her resume: She’s now New York’s — and by extension, the United States’ — first ambassador... Read More

    Top US Accident Investigator Says Close Calls Between Planes Show Aviation Is Under Stress

    The nation’s top accident investigator said Thursday that a surge in close calls between planes at U.S. airports this year... Read More

    The nation’s top accident investigator said Thursday that a surge in close calls between planes at U.S. airports this year is a "clear warning sign” that the aviation system is under stress. “While these events are incredibly rare, our safety system is showing clear signs of... Read More

    November 7, 2023
    by Jesse Zucker
    Exercise and Nutrition Tips for Seasonal Affective Disorder

    WASHINGTON — Welcome to November. We’re well into autumn and it’s time to “fall back” — daylight saving time has... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Welcome to November. We’re well into autumn and it’s time to “fall back” — daylight saving time has ended, there’s plenty of beauty to see and holidays to look forward to. But as the weather gets colder and the sun sets earlier, many people... Read More

    November 7, 2023
    by Tom Ramstack
    Whistleblower Says Meta Execs Knew Social Media Can Harm Kids

    WASHINGTON — A whistleblower former employee of Meta Platforms Inc. told a Senate panel Tuesday that top executives of the... Read More

    WASHINGTON — A whistleblower former employee of Meta Platforms Inc. told a Senate panel Tuesday that top executives of the social media giant knew their Facebook platform harmed young people but covered it up to avoid interfering with their profits. He said he showed statistics to... Read More

    November 1, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    First Federal Campaign Launched to Tackle Health Care Workers’ Burnout

    WASHINGTON — A new federal campaign aims to provide hospital leaders with the critical, evidence-based resources they need to improve... Read More

    WASHINGTON — A new federal campaign aims to provide hospital leaders with the critical, evidence-based resources they need to improve workplace policies and reduce burnout among their staff of health care professionals. As previously reported in The Well News, physician burnout has reached a crisis stage... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top