Accountable Tech Co-Founder and Executive Director Nicole Gill issued the following statement on Instagram’s policy announcements today for teens and parents:

“As the United States Congress comes closer than ever to passing landmark bipartisan legislation to protect kids’ safety and privacy online, it is no surprise that Meta is making yet another hollow policy announcement. Meta has known since at least 2019 that teens reported an increase in body image issues from using Instagram, along with increases in the rates of anxiety and depression, yet the company executives including Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri did nothing. 

“Instagram’s announcement is just their latest attempt to avoid actual independent oversight and regulation and instead continue to self-regulate, jeopardizing the health, safety, and privacy of young people. Today’s PR exercise falls short of the safety by design and accountability that young people and their parents deserve and only meaningful policy action can guarantee. Meta’s business model is built on addicting its users and mining their data for profit; no amount of parental and teen controls Meta is proposing will change that.” 

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Accountable Tech is a non-profit organization advocating for digital justice by reining in Big Tech’s threats to society and democracy with legislative, regulatory, and structural solutions. Through strategic initiatives and creative campaigns, Accountable Tech is challenging the industry’s toxic business model in order to protect data privacy, preserve the health of democracy, and create safer online platforms. We are leading the movement to advance a better, more human-centered digital future, and tech for the common good. To learn more, visit accountabletech.org.