Senators put Social Media Executives in Spotlight over Online Safety.
Dylan Meyer
October 27, 2021
Executives from TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube went before U.S. senators on Tuesday to defend their company’s influence on millions of children and teens who use these platforms.
The hearing, held by the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, comes amid heightened scrutiny after leaked Facebook documents show the company knew about its negative effect on teens’ mental health. According to the Facebook documents, the company’s researchers found that Instagram is harmful to many teenage girls who experience issues with body image, anxiety, and depression.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, the top Republican on the panel, said she hears “stories about kids and teens who are suffering after interacting with TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat.”
Democrats and Republicans in the Senate Commerce subcommittee alleged that TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat have been used to harm kids and promote destructive acts, such as vandalism, deadly viral challenges, bullying, eating disorders, and manipulative influencer marketing.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar said, “Tiktok’s algorithm can push young users into content glorifying eating disorders, drugs, violence.”
Teens face immense peer pressure to use apps such as Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube. College students are the most active demographic on social media, and 96% say they use social media.
ICC student, Sydney Sieg, thinks social media has both a positive and negative influence on teens. “It allows teens to express themselves and connect with others who are similar to them.” Sydney goes on to say, “There are harmful videos or posts of violence or sexual content that pop up on social media. That type of content rarely gets banned.”
Maya Williams, also a student at ICC said, “The overall effect is negative. I know a lot of people who feel insecure from watching TikTok videos or feel like their life isn’t interesting enough.”
All three companies say they’re committed to releasing research, data, and independent studies to Congress. The three platforms expressed safety as a “top priority” and offered “tweaks and minor changes” to their operations.