Instagram has not yet left the Instagram stories for Children in Congress with CEO Adam Moseri

Follow up on internal defects that have been shown Instagram can affect the health of young people, Instagram said it would suspend its plans to create a children’s program. But Wednesday, the company revealed that it did not stop the production of “Instagram for Kids” one day.

At a Senate meeting on how Instagram affects children and young people on Wednesday, when Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) asked Instagram CEO Adam Moseri if he would volunteer to stop the development of Instagram for Kids, Mosseri replied:

What I can give you today is that no child between the ages of 10 and 12 – if we can make Instagram for children aged 10 to 12 – can do this without parental consent.

In other words, Mosseri was saying that Instagram could still do something for children, despite facing months of public scrutiny and political pressure to abandon the plans.

The exchange shows a deep sense of sensitivity: Instagram – and its parent company Meta (formerly Facebook) – do not seem to believe that their products are dangerous for children and young people in need of radical change.

This is despite the fact that an internal company survey that revealed Facebook’s Frances Haugen revealed that one in three girls who were upset with their bodies said Instagram had made them feel bad. Research too showed that 13 per cent of British youth users and 6 per cent of American teenagers use those with suicidal thoughts followed the suicidal ideation on Instagram.

Although Mosseri spoke critically and deeply about the case in discussing issues such as teen suicide, he downplayed his company’s research which showed that Instagram could be a source of stress for teens and denied that Instagram was a drug addict.

His responses seemed to do little to convince a group of U.S. lawmakers in the case, who he says believe Instagram is harming the health of young people. The policy makers will be committed to enacting laws that would force Facebook and other professional companies to change their businesses to better protect children.

Instagram’s influence on the mental health of young people has been the catalyst for a major debate on improving social networking, at a time when many US people are still skeptical of major tech companies.

But Facebook and Instagram continue to reduce this.

When Blumenthal asked Mosseri if he supported the ban on social networking sites which was designed to be confusing for other users, Mosseri replied, “Senator, politely, I do not believe that this study shows that the things we make are difficult.

“We could discuss the meaning of the word ‘habit,’ but the fact is that young people who go to the platform find it difficult and sometimes impossible to stop,” says Blumenthal.

Another moment of demonstration at the two-and-a-half hour hearing was back and forth between Mosseri and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). Although Cruz used his past experiences with social networking sites to promote the concerns of people thought to be difficult, this time the judge focused on the health of children.

After Cruz pressured Mosseri about an in-depth investigation into Instagram injuries in teens with a physical disorder and suicidal ideation, Mosseri also argued that everywhere, Instagram made life better for teens.

“If we talk about this research, I think we should be clear about what she is saying. It turned out that one in three girls with a physique found that Instagram makes things worse, and this came from a slide with 23 other numbers while teens many found that Instagram makes things better, “Mosseri said.

In a subsequent exchange, Mosseri said that social networking sites like Instagram “have helped navigating important issues such as physical stability.… It has helped differentiate the meanings of beauty, and is something we think is very important.”

This defense did not seem to soften the minds of lawmakers.

“I am a mother; I am a grandmother. … I have a grandchild 12 and 13 years old. I’m talking to parents all the time, “Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said at a press conference after the hearing.” And we know that. [in] Many of the stories we hear, many parents have mentioned the bad things that happened on television.

Blackburn called Mosseri’s claim that Instagram does more than harm young users “is” strange, “and said it” sounded like it had been removed. “

All of this shows that Facebook has lost a lot of trust with lawmakers. Whatever good the company would have had at Capitol Hill a decade ago, when Facebook was still in its infancy and many people thought it was good for the public, diminished after years of controversy over the company’s struggles with secrecy, hate speech, and other harmful content on its platforms.

“Big Tech loves to use clear language to bring people together, but the simple truth and why most Americans don’t believe in Big Tech is: You make money,” Cruz said.

It is yet to be said whether Congress will pass laws forcing Facebook and other social networking companies to change their businesses to better protect young people and other users. At the moment, there is a lot of money to be made to create confidential laws, to impose Facebook penalties if it allows for malicious exposure, and to order Facebook to share information with external analysts to see the harm of its business. So far, no bill has been passed or is about to expire.

But the hearing also confirmed the growing number of Democrats and Republicans that something has to happen on the subject of how TV can harm young people.

Jim Steyer, founder and executive director of the non-profit organization Common Sense Media, which promotes safe and sound technology for children and families, has been urging Congress to enact legislation that would better protect children on the platform by protecting their privacy and alternatives. He added that although Congress had not moved quickly, he thought Wednesday was a sign that the push was making real laws.

“We’ve seen the film many times in the past when it came to Facebook and Instagram – and it’s time for Congress to act on two issues, a complete suspension,” he said. “But I think it will happen now.”