Meta Whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams Reveals Company Targeted Teen Ads Based on ‘Emotional State’

Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams, former director of Global Public Policy for Facebook and author of the revealing book “Careless People,” testified before U.S. senators on Wednesday, disclosing that Meta strategically targeted advertisements at teenagers by analyzing their emotional states.

This revelation, initially documented in Wynn-Williams’ book, highlights her experiences at Facebook and the “careless” attitude of its top executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg and former COO Sheryl Sandberg, towards the extensive influence and potential harm the tech giant holds.

While the primary focus of the Senate hearing was Meta’s interactions with China and the accuracy of its previous congressional testimonies, senators also revisited concerns about Instagram. The app had been scrutinized in earlier congressional investigations in 2021 for its detrimental effects on children.

Under questioning from Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Wynn-Williams conceded that Meta (formerly Facebook) had indeed targeted 13- to 17-year-olds with advertisements during moments of feeling down or depressed.

“It could identify when they were feeling worthless, helpless, or like a failure, and [Meta] would share that data with advertisers,” Wynn-Williams explained to the Senate subcommittee on crime and terrorism within the Judiciary Committee. “Advertisers know that pitching products to people when they feel bad about themselves can be effective — they are more likely to make a purchase.”

Wynn-Williams detailed how the company informed advertisers about the emotional states of teenagers, optimizing ad timing. For example, if a teenage girl deleted a selfie, advertisers might see this as an opportune moment to promote beauty products, capitalizing on her possible insecurity about her appearance. Additionally, teens were targeted with weight loss ads when concerned about body image.

She asserted that Meta recognized the vulnerability but also the high value of the 13-17 age group to advertisers, which was a key motivator.

Wynn-Williams recounted an instance where a business leader at the company acknowledged that teenagers were the “most valuable segment of the population” for advertisers, suggesting that Meta should be “trumpeting it from the rooftops.”

At the time, Wynn-Williams had recommended that a company worth trillions did not need to resort to such methods to increase revenue.

If Meta targeted teenagers based on their emotional states, it is plausible that they employed similar tactics with adults. One document presented during the hearing supported this notion.

An internal chat screenshot revealed a Facebook policy director inquiring about research into young mothers’ emotional states. Another employee confirmed the research, jokingly suggesting they might consult their “apparently morally bankrupt colleagues” for further studies.

Wynn-Williams highlighted the irony of many Silicon Valley executives not allowing their own children to use the products they developed.

“I would ask, ‘Has your teen used the new product we’re about to launch?,’” Wynn-Williams shared. “And they’d respond, ‘My teenagers are not allowed on Facebook. They don’t use Instagram.’ These executives understand the harm their products can cause. They prevent their own children from using Meta’s developments. The hypocrisy is evident at every level.”

In response, Meta issued a statement denying Wynn-Williams’ allegations, describing them as “divorced from reality and riddled with false claims.”

(Source: TechCrunch)