Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri testifies at a US Senate hearing in Washington, DC, on December 8, 2021.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
WASHINGTON — Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri testified for the first time before Congress on Wednesday, refusing to commit to permanently ending the paused plans to create a version of the platform for kids under 13.
Mosseri told the Senate Commerce subcommittee on consumer protection that he was ultimate decision-maker on the matter and that he would work to ensure no child between 10 and 12 years old would have access to any version of the platform without explicit parental consent. He said the initial goal of creating a kids-focused product was to solve the problem of kids under 13 wanting to use Instagram and the difficulty for platforms across the industry to verify age.
Mosseri said in his opening remarks that he remains proud of the platform’s efforts to keep young people safe even after leaked internal documents left lawmakers furious about what they said was a lack of action from the company.
He said in his prepared remarks that “keeping young people safe online is not just about one company” and stressed a need for “industry-wide solutions and standards.” He said the company, owned by Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has called for “updated regulations” for years and proposed an industry body to set best practices around questions of how to verify age online and design age-approporiately.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., chair of the Senate Commerce subcommittee on consumer protection, made clear in his opening remarks that industry solutions alone will not make the cut in his view.
“Self-policing depends on trust,” Blumenthal said. “Trust is gone.”
Mosseri’s testimony comes after former Facebook employee Frances Haugen released a trove of internal research documents to journalists, Congress and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Among the documents was a presentation, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, that found among teens who reported suicidal thoughts, 13% of British users and 6% of American users surveyed traced the issue back to Instagram.
Mosseri called into question the accuracy of that number, which was included in the company’s own documents, in his testimony Wednesday. In his written remarks, he said reporting on internal research “was mischaracterized.”
That report set off a slew of bipartisan hearings, including with Haugen and a separate hearing with a Facebook executive. But Mosseri is the highest-ranking official at the company to testify on the matter in the wake of the news.
Just a day before Wednesday’s hearing in the very early morning, Instagram released several product updates meant to improve teen safety on the platform. The changes included prompts for teens to “Take a Break” after scrolling on the app for a while and giving parents the ability to see and limit the amount of time they spend on the platform.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., the ranking member on the subcommittee voiced skepticism about the timing of the announcement.
“At 3:00am – which is midnight in Silicon Valley – you released a list of product updates you said would “raise the standard for protecting teens and supporting parents online,” Blackburn said in her written remarks. “I’m not sure what hours you keep out there in California, but, where I’m from, that’s when you drop news that you don’t want people to see.”
Regardless, Blackburn said, the measures were “too little, too late.”
Mosseri later alluded to additional measures Instagram is considering to protect user safety, including an option for a chronological feed which it’s aiming to launch in the first quarter of next year. Twitter similarly reintroduced the option for users to order their feeds in reverse chronological order back in 2018.
While Wednesday was Mosseri’s first formal congressional appearance, he is one of many Meta employees to testify over the years. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has testified himself several times on topics ranging from the company’s earlier cryptocurrency ambitions to privacy policies in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Blackburn referenced the numerous testimonies from Meta officials she’s heard over the past couple years, saying she was “frustrated” that “time and time again, you say things that make it sound like you are hearing us and agree – but then nothing changes,” according to her written remarks.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
WATCH: Numerous executives leave Meta; Instagram chief Adam Mosseri testifies on Capitol Hill
