Senators Question Meta’s Delay in Making Teen Accounts Private
▼ Summary
– A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has written to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, questioning why the company delayed launching key privacy protections for teenage users.
– The senators cite court documents alleging Meta considered but decided against making all teen accounts private in 2019 because it would likely reduce user engagement.
– Their letter specifically asks Meta to explain the delay of its private-by-default feature for teens and which teams were involved in that decision.
– The senators also question whether Meta ever halted research into user well-being if the findings were unfavorable, as suggested in the court filing.
– Furthermore, they seek details on Meta’s policies for removing child sexual abuse material and have given the company a deadline of March 6th to respond.
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators is demanding answers from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg regarding the company’s timeline for implementing stronger privacy protections for teenage users. In a formal letter, the lawmakers cite recently unsealed court documents that suggest Meta may have postponed a plan to make all teen accounts private by default years ago, with internal concerns that such a move could negatively impact user engagement. The senators are pressing for a detailed explanation of the alleged delay and the internal decision-making process behind it.
The letter, signed by Senators Brian Schatz, Katie Britt, Amy Klobuchar, James Lankford, and Christopher Coons, references a nationwide lawsuit concerning child safety on social media. According to an unredacted filing from that case, Meta internally considered making teen accounts on Instagram private by default as early as 2019. However, the company reportedly decided against moving forward with the plan after an analysis indicated it would “likely smash engagement.” Meta ultimately began automatically setting new teen Instagram accounts to private in September 2024, later extending similar protections to Facebook and Messenger.
Beyond the timeline, the senators’ inquiry delves into broader allegations from the court records. They are asking Meta to clarify whether it ever halted or suppressed internal research on user well-being if the findings were unfavorable. “We are deeply concerned by allegations that Meta was not only aware of these risks, but may have delayed product design changes or prevented public disclosure of these findings,” the letter explicitly states. The lawmakers seek transparency on which internal teams were involved in the decisions about teen privacy settings.
The letter also raises serious questions about Meta’s enforcement policies concerning harmful content. It references testimony from a former company executive who oversaw safety, who claimed that Meta’s policy was to suspend accounts only after they accumulated 17 separate violations for offenses related to prostitution and solicitation. In light of this, the senators are requesting comprehensive details on Meta’s current procedures for removing child sexual abuse material and content associated with sex trafficking.
Meta has been given a deadline of March 6th to provide written responses to all the senators’ questions. The company’s reply is anticipated to shed light on its historical decision-making and current practices, as scrutiny over social media’s impact on young users continues to intensify in Washington.
(Source: The Verge)
