Nick Clegg says Facebook will release two internal slide decks central to WSJ's story on Instagram's impact on teens to the public “in the next few days”

Facebook will publish two internal slide decks detailing its research into how Instagram affects teens' mental health sometime “in the next few days.” Source: YouTube .

Engadget 2021-09-28 Karissa Bell

Discussion

@kurtwagner8 Kurt Wagner on x
FB's Nick Clegg is speaking right now at Atlantic Live and says the company plans to release the IG research decks cited by the WSJ series later this week. It released one slide last night, but Clegg says they'll make it all public in next few days https://twitter.com/...
@jeffnolan Jeff Nolan on x
as my British friends would say to their fellow countryman, “sod off”. Same week they are digging in on “instagram ain't that bad” they are giving up on Instagram Kids. Some would say the public pressure makes it untenable, I would say they don't want to live what will happen htt…
@evelyndouek Evelyn Douek on x
Can we pressure YouTube to release their research too, please? https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@pbandjaimie Jaimie Park on x
FB's Nick Clegg is speaking right now at Atlantic Live and says the company plans to release the IG research decks cited by the WSJ series later this week. It released one slide last night, but Clegg says they'll make it all public in next few days https://twitter.com/...
@mshannahmurphy Hannah Murphy on x
Wild that it has had to take enormous public pressure to convince Facebook to share research that the company claims exculpates them on all fronts https://twitter.com/...
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
@stevesi I agree these docs need context and the blog post FB did yesterday was helpful in that regard. I'm not arguing that all FB internal docs should be made public, but that the company does have a responsibility to share more about research in the public interest than it has…
@cullend Cullen on x
@CaseyNewton @stevesi How was it helpful? They “cited” three studies and oscillated between using weighted/ modeled data and unmodeled, and weren't particularly clear on the source of each point
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
@ekp i'm cautiously optimistic? a lot of folks there want to share more. and they feel like the data mostly makes them look good. if it doesn't happen soon, it will happen when Europe passes the Digital Services Act and compels platforms to share data with researchers
@swt2102 Simon Taylor on x
@CaseyNewton I hope for the same. And of course there are ways to responsibly deal with participants' data and identities (which are already redacted before they're shared internally anyway). But as I said, I think there's little prospect of this happening in any meaningful way.
@swt2102 Simon Taylor on x
@CaseyNewton This will never happen. Maybe in some kind of deeply redacted way, but making all of FB's internal research public would not be prudent for the company on many levels (and as a former FB UXR, I have ethical qualms about my participants' data being shared publicly).
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
@cullend @stevesi it explained the broader context in which the research was done and highlighted aspects of the research that were more mixed or inconclusive
@ekp Ellen K. Pao on x
@CaseyNewton Do you think there's any chance it will happen? I can imagine them sharing some limited and perhaps additional data that is going to be shared anyway or helps them with their spin, but not anything else even if it is “the right thing to do” as you wrote
@stevesi Steven Sinofsky on x
@CaseyNewton Even if a company releases all documents/emails/etc on a topic (any topic), doing so lacks the context of the organization, what people thought, and a time horizon of what would/could be done, when. Document dumps do serve to fan flames in search of smoking guns or s…
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
@swt2102 my hope is that (1) we can just look at the set of documents that the WSJ has, and that Congress will probably share eventually anyway; and (2) that some of the relevant data gets shared with qualified researchers for independent review. Not that it would all be public.
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
I think Facebook should release all of the Facebook Files to the public and share at least some of the underlying data with researchers. There's so much in there that is of the public interest. And it's the right thing to do. https://www.platformer.news/ ... https://twitter.com/.…
@mosseri @mosseri on x
We're pausing “Instagram Kids”, although we believe building it is the right thing to do. More here: https://about.instagram.com/ ...
@mosseri @mosseri on x
We're pausing “Instagram Kids.” This was a tough decision. I still think building this experience is the right thing to do, but we want to take more time to speak with parents and experts working out how to get this right. https://twitter.com/...
@alexstamos Alex Stamos on x
Ugly Truths: 1) Preteens probably shouldn't have phones, but parents give them anyway. 2) Young teens shouldn't be on social media, but parents allow. 3) Older teens still need guidance and check-ins. 4) If you have younger users, knowing and catering to that might be safer.
@todayshow @todayshow on x
“I still firmly believe that it's a good thing to build a version of Instagram that's designed to be safe for tweens.” - Adam @Mosseri, head of Instagram https://twitter.com/...
@davegirouard Dave Girouard on x
Instagram for kids. There I built it for you. [Pictured: “Go TF Outside!"]
@todayshow @todayshow on x
Watch @craigmelvin's full interview with Adam @Mosseri, head of Instagram, who says that a version of Instagram for kids has been put on hold amid reports that the company had internal research showing its popular app may be harmful to the mental health of teenage girls. https://…
@evan_greer Evan Greer on x
Instagram Kids is/was a bad idea because Facebook's surveillance capitalist business model is fundamentally toxic. But the idea that teenagers should be denied access to social media is also bad. There are a lot of kids for whom the Internet is a lifeline. They deserve options.
@senmarkey Ed Markey on x
Facebook is heeding our calls to stop plowing ahead with plans to launch a version of Instagram for kids. But a “pause” is insufficient. Facebook must completely abandon this project. https://twitter.com/...
@mosseri @mosseri on x
I have to believe parents would prefer the option for their children to use an age-appropriate version of Instagram - that gives them oversight - than the alternative. But I'm not here to downplay their concerns, we have to get this right.
@rmac18 @rmac18 on x
When @CraigSilverman and I broke that Facebook was building Instagram for Kids in March, it was clear how the company had given little thought to how it was going to be developed. Six months later the company is pausing that project amid more scrutiny. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@jeffhorwitz Jeff Horwitz on x
“Critics of “Instagram Kids” will see this as an acknowledgement that the project is a bad idea. That's not the case.” https://about.instagram.com/ ... Late last week @georgia_wells and I told Instagram we had something coming on this subject.
@oliviasolon Olivia Solon on x
Instagram head @mosseri just announced Facebook is stopping work on Instagram Kids It's something child safety groups have been demanding for months https://www.nbcnews.com/...
@sam_l_shead Sam Shead on x
Instagram has “paused” work on the Instagram Kids app it was building https://t.co/FybadJOTPb
@jamieson Dave Jamieson on x
I think we all knew intuitively that ‘Instagram for Kids’ was a bad idea. Credit to WSJ reporting for getting it shelved https://www.wsj.com/...
@evan_greer Evan Greer on x
Instead of repeating the too-simple narrative that “social media is bad for kids,” or pushing for more age-verification (which fails in so many ways, especially for marginalized kids) we should be asking ourselves what kind of Internet we want our children to grow up using
@blakereid Blake E. Reid on x
This is sort of fair enough, but labeling these as “societal problems” is a dodge. The platforms have built all these services with little coherent thought or design dedicated to the potential for kids using them even though their growth models have made kid use very predictable.…
@reploritrahan Congresswoman Lori Trahan on x
.@Facebook's decision to pause the creation of an “Instagram Kids” is important, but it doesn't go far enough. The company should permanently abandon those plans, release its full internal research, and focus on making its current services safer for users, especially young girls.…
@damiancollins Damian Collins on x
Instagram causes anxiety & depression amongst teen users. There's no effective age verification for under 13s. These are the issues to address but the bottom line is, they only really care about their bottom line. We need independent regulation of big tech https://about.instagram…
@cathymcmorris CathyMcMorrisRodgers on x
This decision is a step in the right direction. We have been calling on Big Tech to be more transparent so parents can make informed decisions about their children's social media use. Our children's mental health is worth fighting for and we will continue that fight. https://twit…
@joshstein_ Josh Stein on x
Instagram for kids is a terrible idea. While I am pleased that Facebook has put the project on hold, it actually needs to throw the idea in the trash can for good.
@donie Donie O'Sullivan on x
Instagram stopping development of “Instagram Kids” is going to be a talking point Facebook will use repeatedly in front of Congress Thursday — will take away time from the actual issue: how Instagram is messing up teens already.
@ellle_em @ellle_em on x
Like I'm not an expert...I run a friggin cat sanctuary. But if you're gonna call something “Instagram Kids” and then passively-aggressively blame the public for thinking “this must be for kids” you're....not putting things together very well
@fairplayforkids Fairplay on x
Amazing that one of the world's most powerful companies pretends its helpless to change status quo. Take some responsibility. Have you ever used your tremendous reach with parents to tell them we don't want your U13s on IG? https://twitter.com/...
@vickerysec Chris Vickery on x
Apparently Alex Stamos does still work for Facebook, he just doesn't draw a regular paycheck anymore. https://twitter.com/...
@usrepkcastor US Rep Kathy Castor on x
Instagram harms the mental health of children. Zuckerberg & Facebook execs know this. Their own research confirms it. I've urged them NOT to target kids and to end any effort to profit off children. + Congress should pass my #KidsPRICVY Act asap. https://www.cbsnews.com/...
@moonalice Roger McNamee on x
Now pause Facebook. https://twitter.com/...
@ellle_em @ellle_em on x
Man you'd think a company with this much money would be able to figure out a....very simple branding issue here https://twitter.com/...
@repkenbuck Rep. Ken Buck on x
Pausing Instagram kids is not enough. They need to abolish the program completely. Facebook knows it is toxic for our kids, they simply don't care. https://www.wsj.com/...
@senrickscott Rick Scott on x
I urged @facebook earlier this year to address my serious concern of social media's negative impacts on children & young adults. It's time Congress acts & pass my Safe Social Media Act, so we can understand the harmful risks of social media on our most vulnerable. https://twitter…
@davidgross_man David Grossman on x
We're pausing “Smokin' Joe Camel and His Smooth Flavors.” This was a tough decision. I still think posing Joe Camel in a backwards hat while driving a racecar enjoying the smooth, smooth flavor of a Camel cigarette was the right thing to do https://twitter.com/...
@hkesvani @hkesvani on x
You can't expects teenagers or even pre-teens to not have an online presence when platforms have deliberately placed themselves as arbiters of social life. It's basically like telling them that they're prohibited from being part of broader society https://twitter.com/...
@ashleevance Ashlee Vance on x
I'm so laid back that I'll harvest your kids later https://twitter.com/...
@alexstamos Alex Stamos on x
The current “X for Kids” discourse reminds me of the journalistic feeding frenzy around Facebook's NCII protections. It's fun to sit on the sidelines and heckle any imperfect solution to hard, broad societal problems. Less fun to come up with solutions to be heckled.
@alexstamos Alex Stamos on x
I would probably start by asking the phone platforms to make age something that is flowed through to all apps, triggers reasonable defaults per age and part of initial setup (and hard to change). Xbox is probably the best example.
@alexstamos Alex Stamos on x
Everybody ragging on “X for Kids” should propose their ideas. Parents letting 11yos lie about their age and join services with adults is a pretty bad status quo.
@alexstamos Alex Stamos on x
And doing so in an environment where you can't trust parents to properly enforce boundaries (although maybe they would with better tooling) or without a PRC-like model of showing ID to get online accounts.
@samidh @samidh on x
So while it probably isn't impossible to build an ‘IG Kids’ version that Tweens truly prefer, will be a very challenging endeavor. Gotta crack the finsta issue while not chilling 13+ finstas. Glad the IG team, which is the best in the biz, is taking the time to figure this out.
@samidh @samidh on x
‘IG Kids’ would truly need to be a more appealing product for tweens. YouTube can pull it off because the regular interface is still somewhat complex (requires typing). But regular IG is already so tween friendly. Victim of its own success in this regard.
@samidh @samidh on x
Should this also be interpreted as tacit acknowledgment that current mechanisms for age gating are ineffective? If so, seems like ‘IG Kids’ won't easily solve this problem. Don't need a boatload of research to know that Tweens will still want the grown up version. https://twitter…
@alexstamos Alex Stamos on x
A lot of the public policy challenge here is balancing caring about: 1) Passive harms to kids using screens 2) Active but non-criminal harms, like teen bullying, “Thinstagram” and overall crappy influencer culture 3) Active, adversarial and criminal harms (grooming, sextortion)
@cwarzel Charlie Warzel on x
this doesn't have hardly anything to do with the news here...but i'm interested in the video aesthetic (which i see in documentaries now) of starting the confessional with the person sitting down https://twitter.com/...
@fboversight @fboversight on x
Following the WSJ reporting about the mental health effects of Instagram on teenagers, Facebook paused “Instagram for Kids.” They need to cancel the program, completely. https://www.wsj.com/...
@northmantrader Sven Henrich on x
Medellín Cartel pausing effort to make crack for kids. https://twitter.com/...
@oliviasolon Olivia Solon on x
Excited to see how Facebook will square the “actually, our research shows that Instagram is good for teens” message with this announcement
@mikeelgan Mike Elgan on x
Facebook has zero moral compass, zero ethics. They respond only to bad press, which affects the money. https://twitter.com/...
@rationalwalk @rationalwalk on x
Local drug dealer halts development on lower dose version meant to introduce children to the product. https://www.wsj.com/...
@jilliancyork Jillian C. York on x
I would just like to say that I told them not to do this THREE YEARS AGO when consulted. https://twitter.com/...
@umairh @umairh on x
LOL you soulless capitalist assholes delete your whole app https://twitter.com/...
@ceciliakang Cecilia Kang on x
Lawmakers respond: “A ‘pause’ is insufficient, however. Facebook has completely forfeited the benefit of the doubt when it comes to protecting young people online and it must completely abandon this project,” @SenMarkey @USRepKCastor @SenBlumenthal @RepLoriTrahan https://twitter.…
@mosseri @mosseri on x
While we stand by the need to develop this experience, we've decided to pause to give us time to work with parents, experts, policymakers and regulators, to listen to their concerns, and to demonstrate the value and importance of this project for younger teens online today.
@viacristiano Cristiano Lima on x
Inbox: Four of Congress's biggest Democratic kids' privacy advocates say Facebook pausing plans for Instagram Kids is “insufficient” https://twitter.com/...
@hawleymo Josh Hawley on x
This is the least @instagram and @Facebook can do. Now they need to release the full results of their internal research showing @instagram harms teenagers https://twitter.com/...
@todayshow @todayshow on x
“If anybody leaves using Instagram feeling worse about themselves, that's an important issue that we need to take seriously and that we need to figure out how to address.” -Adam @Mosseri, head of Instagram, on body image issues for teens https://twitter.com/...
@claremalone Clare Malone on x
Instagram has paused this but the Teen version of its app seems like it will very much be a thing in the future, despite its own findings that “we make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls.” https://www.wsj.com/...
@ceciliakang Cecilia Kang on x
Ahead of a hearing this week on Instagram harms on youth. https://t.co/etKmFoSKwM
@dangerbrooks Dan Brooks on x
It's remarkable how much of this press release is phrased in terms of “need” and “the right thing to do,” as though Instagram were a moral imperative and not a business plan. Everyone talks like this now. https://twitter.com/...
@borzou Borzou Daragahi on x
Mark Zuckerberg has known for years that Instagram was harmful to teenaged women. But it a media expose of leaked documents for him to trot out one of his bootlickers to announce plans to roll out Instagram for kids would be halted https://www.wsj.com/...
@danprimack Dan Primack on x
I think this is probably going to stretch the definition of “pause.” https://about.instagram.com/ ...
@sm Sara Mauskopf on x
wait @mosseri you were seriously building an Instagram for 10 year old girls? Do you have daughters? Do you have any mothers of ~10 year old girls on your team? https://twitter.com/...
@brandyljensen Brandy Jensen on x
we live in such sinister times https://twitter.com/...
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
1) good call 2) issue wasn't whether product was needed but whether FB can be trusted to operate it (it can't, this is proven), 3) one link in @mosseri post to ongoing attempts to discredit WSJ reconfirms spineless amateur hour in failing to rebuild trust. https://www.theverge.co…
@shiraovide Shira Ovide on x
The best thing about a version of Instagram for preteens is that it acknowledged the reality that kids under 13 use Instagram already. The worst thing was that Instagram for kids came from Facebook. “There's a high cost to a bad reputation,” as Uber's CEO once said. https://twitt…
@stevekovach Steve Kovach on x
I'm surprised FB didn't double down and continue making Instagram for kids after spending weeks defending itself over the WSJ series the way it has. https://twitter.com/...
@brandyzadrozny Brandy Zadrozny on x
Mosseri seems to frame this as a future with only two options: one where kids and teens use the existing Insta which has proven not great for their mental health and safety OR one where they use a new Insta “kids” version. https://twitter.com/...
@moorehn Heidi N. Moore on x
Just saw that the head of Instagram has “married up” in his bio, suddenly it makes sense why the platform has Pivoted to Insecurity.
@kkomaitis @kkomaitis on x
This 👇 was from the beginning a very, unbelievably, astonishingly stupid idea! It should not be paused but terminated! #teens #instagram #Facebook https://about.instagram.com/ ...
@viacristiano Cristiano Lima on x
Facebook announces plans for controversial project. Project faces intense scrutiny from policymakers. Facebook halts project temporarily. The circle of life for FB products https://twitter.com/...
@mosseri @mosseri on x
This experience was never meant for kids. We were designing an experience for tweens (10-12yo), and it was never going to be the same as Instagram today. Parents approve tween accounts and have oversight over who they follow, who follows them, who messages them, time spent etc.
@mosseri @mosseri on x
Us pausing doesn't change the status quo. U13s are getting phones, misrepresenting their age, and downloading 13+ apps. YouTube and TikTok saw this happening and made u13 products, we were doing the same.
@mosseri @mosseri on x
We'll continue all the work we do to keep teens safe. We've spent a lot of time on bullying, social comparison, and age-appropriate features like default private accounts for u18s. But we're doing more, like building new features like “Nudges” and “Take a Break”. More to come.
@viacristiano Cristiano Lima on x
Facebook is slated to testify before the Senate this week, where many lawmakers have called on it to abandon Instagram Kids altogether https://twitter.com/...
@katienotopoulos Katie Notopoulos on x
Huge opportunity for Twitter for Kids https://twitter.com/...
@silviakillings Silvia Killingsworth on x
hats off @wsj https://about.instagram.com/ ...
@andymstone Andy Stone on x
As @mosseri just announced, we are: 1. Pausing the development of “Instagram Kids” 2. Continuing to build opt-in parental supervision tools 3. Maintaining a focus on teen safety https://about.instagram.com/ ...
@sarafischer Sara Fischer on x
🚨 Facebook pausing Instagram Kids, per new blog post authored by @mosseri - “We believe building “Instagram Kids” is the right thing to do, but we're pausing the work.” https://twitter.com/...
@oliviasolon Olivia Solon on x
From Facebook's official blog post https://about.instagram.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
@scottnover Scott Nover on x
Interesting that Facebook's PR blog shows up in the first Google News panel https://twitter.com/...
@andymstone Andy Stone on x
@CaseyNewton We're sharing these decks with Congress in advance of the hearing this week and we're evaluating how we can release it to the public at some point.
@samidh @samidh on x
I'd find blog posts like this much more persuasive if they were co-authored by the individual researchers who actually did the analysis. That would be a signal that they are willing to stand behind the comms team's characterization of their work. https://about.fb.com/...
@fbnewsroom @fbnewsroom on x
Contrary to The Wall Street Journal's characterization, Instagram's research shows that on 11 of 12 well-being issues, teenage girls who said they struggled with those difficult issues also said that Instagram made them better rather than worse. https://about.fb.com/...
@stevekovach Steve Kovach on x
Last night FB attempted a point-by-point analysis of why it thinks WSJ was wrong about Instagram harming teen girls. https://about.fb.com/... This morning it “paused” Instagram kids over concerns raised in WSJ series. https://www.cnbc.com/...
@willoremus Will Oremus on x
former facebook civic integrity lead 👇 https://twitter.com/...
@boblatta U.S. Rep. Bob Latta on x
.@Facebook is putting ‘Instagram Kids’ on pause after internal docs showed the damage that @instagram has had on the mental health of teens. A good step, but tech companies need to be much more transparent about how their products affect our children. https://www.cnbc.com/...
@repgusbilirakis Gus Bilirakis on x
I'm encouraged to see @Facebook pausing development of Instagram for Kids and pledging to do more to empower parents. Its a shame it only took this important step after leaked internal studies showed the company knew its products were harmful to teens. https://www.cnbc.com/...
@jessicalessin Jessica Lessin on x
An incredibly interesting slide from @instagram. Suggests just focusing JUST on body image is incomplete. For instance, more teen girls said Instagram helped with eating issues than hurt and a very large percentage said it helped with sadness, anxiety, loneliness and even sleep. …
@matt__graham Matt Graham on x
Direct questions about attitude change strike again! We can't learn *anything* from this research because it uses a remarkably untrustworthy question format. See @aecoppock and my paper on asking about attitude change: https://academic.oup.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
Oh good grief, Google. Are you kidding me? This can't be new and I know you're more advanced than to allow Facebook PR's “newsroom” to count as “news.” I'd like to know how this happened. @richardgingras @dannysullivan https://twitter.com/...
@willoremus Will Oremus on x
WSJ: *Holds up three rotten cherries* Facebook has been hiding rotten fruit on its orchard FB: The WSJ is clearly cherry-picking here! This is what our orchard really looks like *Holds up six ripe cherries while hiding the rest of orchard* https://www.theverge.com/...
@jeffhorwitz Jeff Horwitz on x
Thinking a bit today about former FB employees, including @YaelEisenstat and @szhang_ds, who publicly criticized the company and got accused of grandstanding. Regardless of their seniority or tenure, everything the @WSJ team has written about FB is compatible with what they said.
@bplewis @bplewis on x
Well color me shocked to read that Facebook says a Facebook study about a Facebook property finds that said Facebook property is not a toxic cesspool for teenagers according to Facebook https://twitter.com/...
@kurtwagner8 Kurt Wagner on x
Facebook just published a blog post that argues its research shows that IG is not as bad for teen girls as WSJ reported last week. They offered up this research slide, which is the same slide it claims WSJ cited in its piece https://about.fb.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@danielsand Dan Sandler on x
@CaseyNewton Is it just me, or is their PR purposely written to be difficult to actually parse their message. They at one point talk about how the WSJ is basing on a super small N (<50) so their results are not significant. Then claim the same study shows they are doing good.
@oliviasolon Olivia Solon on x
Why doesn't Facebook just publish the frickin research? https://twitter.com/...
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
The irony of calling the WSJ's set of internal FB docs ‘a new Cambridge Analytica’ moment is that CA was, in the end, nonsense - a hoax. None of the things people worried about had happened, but the idea it might have been true changed people's attitudes...
@ashleevance Ashlee Vance on x
Facebook begins research effort on technology that could make slide decks available to the public https://twitter.com/...
@jamestitcomb James Titcomb on x
Question isn't whether Instagram is a net positive - lots of problematic things are net positive - it's why 10s of millions of teenagers find it makes them feel worse https://about.fb.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@rmac18 @rmac18 on x
FB spox suggests that the slides will be released at some point, but why wasn't it with this blog post? This just gives people more to be suspicious about. https://twitter.com/...

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Nick Clegg says Facebook will release two internal slide decks central to WSJ's story on Instagram's impact on teens to the public “in the next few days”

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