Instagram chief and lawmakers clash over app’s real world harms

Mosseri speaks during a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C., US. The testy exchange, and other pleas from lawmakers for Mosseri to understand the real-world harm his platform causes, is part of growing political backlash over the company’s handling of young users. — Bloomberg

The executive who runs Instagram and US senators in a hearing on Dec 8 presented radically different views about how the platform functions in society and impacts young users.

Members of the Senate Commerce consumer protection subcommittee asked Instagram’s Adam Mosseri about ads targeting young people, how the platform promotes inappropriate content and what legal options are available for users who suffered harm because of the social network. Mosseri pledged transparency, touted recent product changes and asked Congress to pass new regulations.