Facebook has introduced new safety measures to Instagram to address the torrent of criticisms it has received following Frances Haugen's testimony and documents.
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In an interview with CNNs State of the Union on Sunday, Nick Clegg, the vice president of global affairs at Facebook, stated that the company would introduce three new measures to improve the user experience for vulnerable teens on Instagram. If they wish, adults can monitor what their teens do online. The company will also encourage teens to stop using Instagram if they see too much harmful content.
Adam Mosseri, Instagram's head, had suggested the measures as ideas and solutions when he announced that the company would be pausing development on an app for children under 13. Clegg's Sunday announcement confirmed that the measures are now part of Facebooks future plans.
Clegg stated that we can't change the human nature. It is easy to compare yourself with others, especially those less fortunate than you. But we can change the product that we are using.
Clegg tried to frame Facebook's problem as something society must confront together. He also reiterated the companys claim about Instagram being a positive experience for the vast majority of teens who use it, but suffer from anxiety, sleeplessness, and depression.
Clegg's comments are in sharp contrast to the Wall Street Journal's damning report, which was based on internal documents that Haugen provided. According to the documents, Facebook's internal researchers claimed that the company made body-image issues worse for one in three teenage girls who have them.
Researchers said that teens blame Instagram for their anxiety and depression. This response was consistent across all age groups and was not prompted.
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The Journal reported that another presentation showed that 13% of British users and 66% of American users experienced suicidal ideas. Facebook has denied that the outlet's research was accurate.
Clegg responded to Haugen's claim that Facebook put profits above the mental well-being of teens using its platform. He highlighted the $13Billion investment that the company made in security. This is more than twice the staff on Capitol Hill.
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As I said, we can't make everyone's lives perfect with a wave of a wand. Clegg stated that we can improve the safety and enjoyment of our products.
All of this sounds wonderful, but when you consider that Instagram has become a toxic, distorted museum of falsity despite all the Facebook money and all the people who work to make it safe for users, there is only one reasonable response: disbelief. It is disbelief to learn that Facebook still manages to make our most vulnerable and youngest feel worse about themselves, despite all the resources at its disposal.
