Adam Mosseri, CEO of the photo sharing website, testifies at a US Senate hearing in December of 2021.
Adam Mosseri refused to commit to permanently ending the paused plans to create a version of the platform for kids under 13 during his first testimony before Congress.
Mosseri told the Senate Commerce subcommittee that he was the ultimate decision-maker on the matter and that he would work to make sure no child under the age of 12 could access the platform without explicit parental consent. He said the initial goal was to solve the problem of kids under 13 wanting to use the photo sharing service, and the difficulty for platforms to verify their age.
Mosseri said in his opening remarks that he is proud of the platform's efforts to keep young people safe even after leaked internal documents left lawmakers furious.
He said in his prepared remarks that keeping young people safe online is not just about one company and that there needs to be industry-wide solutions and standards. He said the company, owned by Meta, has called for updated regulations for years and proposed an industry body to set best practices around questions of how to verify age online.
In his opening remarks, Sen. Richard Blumenthal made it clear that industry solutions alone won't make the cut.
Blumenthal said that self-policing depends on trust. Trust is no longer there.
Mosseri testified after a former Facebook employee released internal research documents to journalists, Congress and the Securities and Exchange Commission. A presentation that was first reported by The Wall Street Journal found that among teens who reported suicidal thoughts, 13% of British users and 6% of American users traced the issue back to the photo sharing site.
Mosseri questioned the accuracy of that number in his testimony Wednesday. He said that reporting on internal research was mischaracterized.
There were a number of bipartisan hearings, including a hearing with a Facebook executive. Mosseri is the highest-ranking official at the company to testify in the wake of the news.
On the eve of the hearing on teen safety on the platform, Instagram released several product updates meant to improve. The changes gave parents the ability to see and limit the amount of time their children spend on the platform, and prompted teens to take a break after scrolling for a while.
The ranking member on the subcommittee voiced skepticism about the timing of the announcement.
At 3:00am in Silicon Valley, you released a list of product updates that you said would raise the standard for protecting teens and supporting parents online. I am not sure what hours you keep out there in California, but I am certain that you don't want people to see.
The measures were too little, too late.
Mosseri was one of many Meta employees to testify over the years. The Cambridge Analytica scandal and the company's earlier ambitions for cryptocurrencies are just some of the topics that CEO Mark Zuckerberg has testified on.
According to her written remarks, she said she was frustrated that she was hearing things that made it sound like she was hearing us and agreeing but then nothing changed.
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Several executives leave Meta; Adam Mosseri testifies on Capitol Hill.
