(WASHINGTON) — Senators put executives from YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat on the defensive Tuesday, questioning them about what they’re doing to ensure young users’ safety on their platforms.
Citing the harm that can come to vulnerable young people from the sites — ranging from eating disorders to exposure to sexually explicit content and material promoting addictive drugs — the lawmakers also sought the executives’ support for legislation bolstering protection of children on social media. They received no firm commitment.
“The problem is clear: Big Tech preys on children and teens to make more money,” Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., said at a hearing by the Senate Commerce subcommittee on consumer protection.
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The subcommittee recently took testimony from a former Facebook data scientist, who laid out internal company research showing that the company’s Instagram photo-sharing service appears to seriously harm some teens. The subcommittee is widening its focus to examine other tech platforms, with millions or billions of users, that also compete for young people’s attention and loyalty.
“We’re hearing the same stories of harm” caused by YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., the panel’s chairman.
“This is for Big Tech a big tobacco moment … It is a moment of reckoning,” he said. “There will be accountability. This time is different.”
To that end, Markey asked the three executives — Michael Beckerman, a TikTok vice president and head of public policy for the Americas; Leslie Miller, vice president for government affairs and public policy of YouTube’s owner Google; and Jennifer Stout, vice president for global public policy of Snapchat parent Snap Inc. — if they would support his bipartisan legislation that would give new privacy rights to children, and ban targeted ads and video autoplay for kids.
Markey attempted to get a support commitment from the executive team, but they refused. Instead, they insisted that their platforms were already complying with the restrictions. They said they’re seeking a dialogue with lawmakers as the legislation is crafted.
That wasn’t good enough for Markey and Blumenthal, who perceived a classic Washington lobbying game in a moment of crisis for social media and the tech industry. “This is the talk that we’ve seen again and again and again and again,” Blumenthal told them. Applauding legislative goals in a general way is “meaningless” unless backed up by specific support, he said.
“Sex and drugs are violations of our community standards; they have no place on TikTok,” Beckerman said. TikTok offers tools such as screen time management to assist parents and young people in limiting the amount of time their children are spending on the app.
According to the company, it is focused on creating age-appropriate experiences. However, some features such as direct messaging aren’t available for younger users. ByteDance is the Chinese owner of this video platform that has become wildly popular among teens and young children. It has seen an average of 1 billion users per month in just five years after its launch.
TikTok tightened privacy policies for children under 18 years old after it was ordered by federal regulators to reveal how its practices affected teens and children.
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Senators put executives from YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat on the defensive Tuesday, questioning them about what they’re doing to ensure young users’ safety on their platforms.
Citing the harm that can come to vulnerable young people from the sites — ranging from eating disorders to exposure to sexually explicit content and material promoting addictive drugs — the lawmakers also sought the executives’ support for legislation bolstering protection of children on social media. They received no firm commitment.
“The problem is clear: Big Tech preys on children and teens to make more money,” Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., said at a hearing by the Senate Commerce subcommittee on consumer protection.
The subcommittee recently took testimony from a former Facebook data scientist, who laid out internal company research showing that the company’s Instagram photo-sharing service appears to seriously harm some teens. The subcommittee is widening its focus to examine other tech platforms, with millions or billions of users, that also compete for young people’s attention and loyalty.
“We’re hearing the same stories of harm” caused by YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., the panel’s chairman.
“This is for Big Tech a big tobacco moment … It is a moment of reckoning,” he said. “There will be accountability. This time is different.”
To that end, Markey asked the three executives — Michael Beckerman, a TikTok vice president and head of public policy for the Americas; Leslie Miller, vice president for government affairs and public policy of YouTube’s owner Google; and Jennifer Stout, vice president for global public policy of Snapchat parent Snap Inc. — if they would support his bipartisan legislation that would give new privacy rights to children, and ban targeted ads and video autoplay for kids.
Markey was trying to reach a compromise of support but the executives refused to endorse Markey, insisting their platforms were already in compliance with the suggested restrictions. They said they’re seeking a dialogue with lawmakers as the legislation is crafted.
That wasn’t good enough for Markey and Blumenthal, who perceived a classic Washington lobbying game in a moment of crisis for social media and the tech industry. “This is the talk that we’ve seen again and again and again and again,” Blumenthal told them. Applauding legislative goals in a general way is “meaningless” unless backed up by specific support, he said.
“Sex and drugs are violations of our community standards; they have no place on TikTok,” Beckerman said. TikTok offers tools such as screen time management to assist parents and young people in limiting the amount of time their children are spending on the app.
According to the company, it is focused on creating age-appropriate experiences. However, some features such as direct messaging aren’t available for younger users. ByteDance is the Chinese owner of this video platform that has become incredibly popular among teens and young children. It has seen an average of 1 billion users per month in just five years after its launch.
TikTok tightened privacy policies for children under 18 years old after it was ordered by federal regulators to reveal how its practices affected teens and children.
Pressed by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., about a 19-year-old said to have died from counterfeit pain medication he bought through Snapchat, Stout said, “We’re absolutely determined to remove all drug dealers from Snapchat.” She said the platform has deployed detection measures against dealers but acknowledged that they are often evaded.
Stout made the case that Snapchat’s platform differs from the others in relying on humans, not artificial intelligence, for moderating content.
Snapchat makes it easy to share photos, videos, and messages. It is attractive to young people who are trying to escape their teachers and parents. Hence its “Ghostface Chillah” faceless (and word-less) white logo.
Snapchat is only 10 years old. It claims that 90% of U.S. 13-24-year-olds use it. In the July-September quarter, it reported 306 million users per day.
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Miller explained that YouTube has made every effort to offer children and their families protections, parental controls such as time limits, and limit the viewing to appropriate content. YouTube Kids has around 35 million monthly users. It is currently available in 70 countries.
“We do not prioritize profits over safety. We do not wait to act,” she said.
The three platforms are woven into the fabric of young people’s lives, often influencing their dress, dance moves and diet, potentially to the point of obsession. There is strong peer pressure to download the apps. While social media may offer education and entertainment, it can also be used to promote bullying and eating disorders, manipulation marketing and vandalism at schools.
Panelists want to know how algorithmic and product design can increase harm to children and foster dependency, and invade privacy. Blumenthal specifically asked executives if independent research was done on the platform’s impact on youth. He stated that the legislators want information on this research from the companies asa soon as possible.
TikTok faced harsh criticism from Congress when it testified before Congress for the first time, especially from Republican conservative lawmakers, who focused on its Chinese ownership. It claims that all TikTok U.S. data is kept in the United States and has a backup in Singapore.
“TikTok actually collects less data than many of our peers,” Beckerman said.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Beckerman that he dodged questions more than any witness he’s ever seen in Congress.
TikTok’s privacy policy states, “We may share all of the information we collect with a parent, subsidiary or other affiliate of our corporate group.” Senators drilled down on whether “other affiliate” includes ByteDance and what that means for Chinese access to data.
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O’Brien reported from Providence, Rhode Island.
