Written Testimony Before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security
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Frances Haugen, a former Facebook product manager, submitted written testimony and appeared before a U.S. Senate Commerce subcommittee on October 5, 2021, after leaving the company with tens of thousands of internal documents. She told lawmakers that Facebook's own researchers had studied how Instagram's design was associated with worsened body image, anxiety, and self-harm ideation for a share of teen girl users, and that leadership had been briefed on those findings. She argued the company's engagement-based ranking systems reward divisive and extreme content, and asked Congress to require outside oversight of platform algorithms and data rather than relying on voluntary self-policing. This hearing is widely credited with catalyzing subsequent state investigations and federal legislative proposals on platform design and children's safety.
Haugen, Frances. Statement of Frances Haugen. Written testimony submitted to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, for its hearing on Facebook and Instagram's effects on children and teens, October 5, 2021.