Facebook and Instagram Knew They Were Harmful to Teens

Self-Investigation Reveals Mental Harm to Teenage Girls
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Also Briefed on Findings
Inevitable Criticism Over Launching Instagram for Children

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] It has been revealed that Facebook, the world's largest social media company, pushed forward with the development of Instagram for children despite knowing that its subsidiary Instagram is harmful to the mental health of teenage adolescents. As the Joe Biden administration has declared an all-out war against 'Big Tech,' a strong backlash is expected following this revelation.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 14th (local time), Facebook conducted several in-depth internal investigations over the past three years on how Instagram affects young users, revealing that the negative impact is particularly pronounced among teenage girls. Instagram’s internal researchers stated in a presentation posted on Facebook’s internal bulletin board in March 2020 that "32% of teenage girls responded that 'Instagram makes me feel worse'." One in three teenage girls reportedly feels frustrated by comparing their bodies to the 'perfect bodies' of influencers posted on Instagram. A previous 2019 study pointed out that "teenagers identified Instagram as a cause of increased anxiety and depression." Another internal survey found that 13% of UK users and 6% of US users said their suicidal impulses were due to Instagram.

WSJ reported that Facebook’s top executives reviewed these internal investigation results, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was briefed on them last year.

Despite these risks, Facebook is pursuing the development of Instagram for children under 13 because expanding its user base to children and adolescents is crucial for the company to exceed $100 billion in annual revenue. In fact, over 40% of Instagram users are under 22 years old, and about 22 million teenagers in the US access Instagram daily. In contrast, Facebook, which has seen an accelerated exodus of young users over the past decade, reportedly has about 5 million teenage users accessing the platform daily.

WSJ reported, "On average, American teenagers spend about 50% more time on Instagram than on Facebook."

The WSJ report prompted an outpouring of concern from the US political sphere, which is already eager to regulate 'Big Tech.' Representative Lori Trahan (Democrat, Massachusetts) urged, "The plan for Instagram for children must be immediately scrapped," calling on Facebook to focus more on protecting existing teenage users. Senator Ed Markey (Democrat, Massachusetts) tweeted that the report was "horrifying" and pressured, "Zuckerberg must provide answers."