Facebook, Google CEOs blasted in Congress over apps for kids

Lawmakers such as Johnson likened Facebook’s and Google’s products aimed at kids to tobacco companies selling cigarettes to youth, while Trahan questioned the CEOs over what she called the companies’ ‘manipulative design features intended to keep them hooked’, such as the auto-play function on YouTube. — Bloomberg

Facebook Inc and Google came under fire at a congressional hearing for the impact their social media services have on children, with lawmakers zeroing in on Facebook’s plan for a new app for kids and YouTube’s feature that serves up a continuous stream of videos.

At a hearing focused on disinformation and extremism, lawmakers pressed Facebook chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet Inc and Google, which owns YouTube, to answer questions about whether their products are designed to keep kids addicted and pose a threat to their well-being.