Facebook shares internal research reports on teens. The research slide deck was split into two PDFs detailing its immensely criticized research. The research also confirmed The Journal’s reporting, which found that Instagram makes body image issues worse for roughly one in three teen girls. The research showed 32.4% of teen girls in the survey said they felt Instagram made body images worse, compared with 22.1% who said the app made issues better.
Facebook shares internal research ahead of its Senate hearing
According to Facebook, This research was not intended to evaluate causal claims between Instagram and health or well-being. Instead, it offers insight into what type of content is positively perceived by teens on Instagram. One slide states that meme accounts are among the content that makes teens feel the best.
Facebook security chief Antigone Davis will testify before a Senate subcommittee on Thursday about how and whether her company’s digital products harm children. Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn said in a statement that Facebook knows that its services are actively harming its young users.
Instagram for Kids App was put on hold
Facebook has also paused the development of Instagram Kids, a version of Instagram all for children, to spend time focusing on developing parental supervision tools. In a blog post, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said that the company wants to work with parents, experts, and policymakers to demonstrate the value and need for the service.
Facebook has aggressively tried to reshape its image including; using its news feed to promote pro-Facebook posts and videos; keeping Mark Zuckerberg away from scandals, and reducing the access of outsiders to internal data. Facebook responded to the leaked research allegations in the blog post; “It is simply not accurate that this research demonstrates Instagram is “toxic” for teen girls. The research demonstrated that many teens we heard from the feel that using Instagram helps them when they are struggling with the kinds of hard moments and issues teenagers have always faced.”
Read more: Facebook Postponed Instagram for Kids App Amid Strong Criticism
