Social media companies deny platforms are inherently addictive
Lib Dem MP Caroline Voaden said it was "absolutely galling for social media giants to say their platforms are not addictive"
Social media bosses have brushed off claims that their platforms are inherently addictive as outrage builds over a lack of action to protect children online.
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A US court ruled last month that Meta, the parent company which owns Instagram and Facebook, had intentionally built addictive social media platforms. The social media giant is appealing the ruling.
TikTok was also a defendant and reached an undisclosed settlement before the trial.
Rebecca Stimson, a director of public policy at Meta, and Alistair Law, who holds the same job at TikTok, were grilled by MPs on the Education Select Committee today.
Asked outright by Lib Dem MP Caroline Voaden what action the companies were taking to address the problem, Ms Stimson said: “We obviously are appealing that court case.
"So we don't also accept the premise that our platforms are addictive, so I can't talk about that too much.”
She pointed to Meta's other safety measures, including an algorithm reset, which she said had led to 50 million fewer hours online and 15-minute caps which can be set by parents.
She continued that the tech giant was "not intending for our platforms to be overconsumed by anyone, and we've introduced a whole range of ways to try and prevent that".
TikTok boss Mr Law similarly batted away the question, stating: “I don't think that we accept the premise that there is an inherent addictiveness".
He highlighted the introduction of screen time caps for under-16s and a family pairing feature allowing parents to monitor their kids’ accounts.
He added: “It's a constant level of ongoing review of the evidence, working with partners and making sure that we understand the experiences of people so that we can build the tools that give them agency and a balanced environment.”
Both said they had robust measures to protect younger users, but admitted age verification technology is not accurate enough.
Children must be 13 and above to sign up for an account on TikTok and Meta. Extra protection measures are in place for under 16s or under 18s.
Chair of the committee Helen Hayes told the bosses their safety measures “aren’t working”.
She pointed to research showing that children as young as five are being groomed into live-streaming harmful content on TikTok.
Mr Law responded that TikTok was in contact with the police about the specific example but agreed that in general it was "absolutely a challenge...whether or not the age verification elements that you have for those risky aspects of your site are sufficient.”
Separately, Meta's Ms Stimson said there "is a real problem with age assurance."
"I think it's a collective challenge. We absolutely have a responsibility. The OSA (Online Safety Act) includes requirements around highly effective age assurance. There is a limit to that technology at the moment.”
Ms Voaden said after the evidence session: "It is absolutely galling for social media giants to say their platforms are not addictive."
She said the platforms were "still in denial" about the dangers of social media, accusing them of "spouting claims which have zero credibility".
"Today’s session reaffirmed that we cannot wait for platforms to do the right thing," she added.
Last month a jury in Los Angeles found Meta and Google, owner of YouTube, had intentionally designed addictive social media platforms that harmed the mental health of a 20-year old woman.
The Government is consulting on introducing a social media ban for under 16s, which if implemented would see the UK follow in the footsteps of Australia which brought in a ban last year.
Ministers want to examine the evidence first as they are wary of bringing in a ban which could see teens pushed into darker corners of the internet.
Other measures on the table are curfews, curbs on "addictive" design features such as streaks and infinite scrolling and raising the age of digital consent.