A Facebook executive over the weekend said the social network plans to “nudge” teenagers away from harmful content and urge them to “take a break” from using apps like Instagram.
In an interview with CNN, Facebook VP of global affairs Nick Clegg outlined three strategies for providing young people a more positive platform.
“I don’t think a company that only places profit above anything else would do what we’ve done,” Clegg said, pointing to the $13 billion Facebook has invested “in making sure that our platform is safe to use.” “We cannot, with the wave of a wand, make everyone’s life perfect,” he continued. “What we can do is improve our products so that [they] are as safe and enjoyable to use wherever we can improve them.”
It’s been a whirlwind couple of months for Facebook, which in September responded to claims from The Wall Street Journal that the firm knows Instagram is toxic for teenage girls. The same day, Instagram announced it would “pause” work on a standalone application for kids.
“We actually think that’s part of the solution,” Clegg said about the Instagram Kids program. “But we understand the concerns are such, at the moment, that we need to just press pause, listen to experts, consult with others, explain our intentions, and so on.”
In the meantime, Facebook is putting the finishing touches on new controls that allow parents and guardians of teens—”on an optional basis, obviously”—to supervise what their children are doing online. The company will also introduce a feature that detects when a teenager is regularly looking at content that “may not be conducive to their wellbeing,” Clegg explained, and “nudges” them to move on to something else. A third measure, called “Take a Break,” prompts folks to “simply just take a break from using Instagram,” the exec said.
“This is obviously a journey; we’re all on this journey,” Clegg told CNN. “The fact that over the last 10, 15 years, millions of youngsters are now online in a way that they were not before means we all face this challenge. We have no incentive other than trying to make that experience as positive and safe as possible.”
The company is currently under close scrutiny following whistleblower Frances Haugen’s recent testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee, during which she argued that Facebook has shirked its responsibility to its most vulnerable users, in large part because it put profit first. The former Facebook product manager said on Tuesday that “Facebook needs to take responsibility for the consequences of its choices. It needs to be willing to accept small trade-offs on profit.” In a staff memo posted to his Facebook page, CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended Facebook’s policies and programs and did not admit to any missteps at the company.
