(uplifting music) >>> instagram head adam mosseri set to testify before congress in just a few hours. the stock is up higher today up 4% in the last week. "techcheck" will be right back n'goway. small businesses like yours make gift-giving possible. now, comcast business has an exclusive gift for you. introducing the gift of savings sale. for a limited time, ask how to get a great deal for your business. and get up to a $500 prepaid card with select bundles when you switch to the network that can deliver gig speeds to the most businesses. or get started with internet and voice for $64.99 per month with a 2-year price guarantee. give your business the gift of savings today. comcast business. powering possibilities. >>> instagram head adam mosseri set to testify before congress for the first time this afternoon amid exodus at company meta julia boorstin has all the details for us julia. >> well, adam mosseri grilled by the same senate subcommittee that interviewed frances . now, just yesterday instagram announced product updates to better protect teens and some parental controls that ar

. >>> instagram chief adam mosseri is on capitol hill right now preparing to testify during a senates. after a facebook whistle-blower leaked explosive documents that showed the company knows that its app is hurting teenagers. joining me now is nbc news technology correspondent jake ward. jake, how is instagram and facebook planning to push back on the questioning today? >> reporter: well, it seems, as adam mosseri prepares to take his seat for the first time ever in front of congress, he's going to talk about the changes that the platform is making. it rolled out a number of features or at least announced them yesterday that included things like limiting contact between adults and teenagers on the platform. a new take or break feature that would make it such that if you scroll for too long or in the wrong way it will suggest you put it down for a while. and new parental controls. the idea that parents should have a stronger hand in this stuff. now, we've been talking to experts all week leading up to this, katy, just to find out why is it that children are such an important market f

. >>> we all want teens to be safe on line -- >> reporter: instagram ceo adam mosseri said keeping teen is an industry-wide challenges that requires industry-wide solutions and industry-wide standards. >> a body setting standards is not the same as an independent one. >> reporter: he says instagram is already creating age-appropriate experiences for young users and supporting teens who may be struggling. ahead of the hearing, the platform launched new safety features including updated parental controls and reminders for teens to take breaks. lawmakers were critical. >> the middle of the night is when you drop news that you don't want people to see. >> they could have been announced years ago. they weren't, and in fact, these changes fall way short. >> reporter: the hearing comes just months after a facebook whistleblower turned over internal documents appearing to show the social media company was aware instagram may cause depression and anxiety, especially for some teenage girls. >> i think it does create some kind of insecurity within making them feel like they don't look a certain wa

. >> reporter: it was instagram head adam mosseri first appearance in congress with senators expressingports that the social media platform knows it can be harmful to teen users. >> nothing changes nothing. >> self-policing depends on trust the trust is gone. >> i do strongly support federal regulation, not industry regulation when it comes to youth safety. >> reporter: ahead of the hearing, instagram announced new tools aimed at teen safety, including nudging them toward different topics if they have been dwelling on something for a long time encouraging them to take breaks. and starting in march, parents will be able to view how much time their teens spend on instagram and set limits today he said he won't stop development on a kids' version of instagram. >> i believe as a parent it will be more responsible to develop an age appropriate version of instagram for those under 13. >> reporter: senator mike lee said his staff created a fictitious account for a 13-year-old girl as soon as she followed the top celebrity recommended by instagram, he said inappropriate content was suggested. >

the app is owned by facebook parent company and the ceo, adam mosseri, says instagram is keeping teenage users safe and says that the app is raging creating age-appropriate content for younger users and says the platform launched safety features like updated parental controls and break reminders but lawmakers were critical about the new changes. >> the middle of the night is when you drop news that you don't want people to see. >> it could have been announced years ago. they were not and, in fact, these changes fall way short. >> this hearing comes after a facebook whistleblower released internal documents showing that the company was aware that it was causing depression and anxiety among teenagers. >>> also on capitol hill, another donald trump white house official will face a criminal contempt charge. the january 6th committee says it will refer mark meadows for criminal prosecution this after the former chief of staff announced that he would not be cooperating with the investigation into the capital riots. >>> still ahead on kpix 5 , some bay area is his owners are facing an ultimatum

senator mike lee asked ceo adam mosseri to explain why a teen was recommended x-rated content. >> why did following instagram's top recommended account for a 13-year-old girl cause her explore page to go from showing really innocuous things like hairstyling videos to content that promotes bodie dysmorphia, sexualization of women? >> senator, respectfully i don't think you can take one or two examples and indicate that's indicative of what happens on the platformer broadly. >> two clicks, it only took two clicks. >> instagram will soon release new parental controls. it's also planning to give users the option of a chronological feed instead of one based on an algorithm. >>> scientists say they have discovered one of the biggest planets ever found. the planet which they say is orbiting two extremely hot stars is believed to be ten times bigger than jupiter. its stars are said to be six times larger than our sun. all this 325 light-years from earth. >> incredible. >>> coming up, another shooting sends tourists running for their lives in a vacation paradise. >>> also ahead, hillary clinto

. >> reporter: it was inis that gram's head adam mosseri knowing that they can be harmful to teenagers. >> nothing changes nothing. >> policing demands on trust the trust is gone. >> i do strongly support federal regulation, not industry regulation when it comes to use safety. >> reporter: ahead of the hearing, inis that gram announced new tools aimed at teen safety, numbering them towards different topics if they have been dwelling on something a long time,encouraging them t take breaks. start figure much, parents will be able to view how much time the teens spend on instagram and set limits he says he won't stop a kid's version. >> i believe it will be better to make a version for those under 13. >> reporter: mike says he created for a 13-year-old girl he says as soon as she followed -- >> one minute we followed a female celebrity it changed and went dark fast. >> if we recommend something we shouldn't have, i am accountable for that >> starting next year, he says instagram will allow users to see a chronological user instead of one created by algorithms lawmakers are demanding more

>> reporter: instagram's ceo adam mosseri announcing new tools and features to keep them safer on instagram. the features will allow parents to set time limits and see how much time their kids spend on the app. parents can also notify if their kids are reported to instagram. >> we need to give our kids limits. we need to know what they're doing, how they're using social media and help them develop a healthier relationship with it. >> reporter: critics say the new features don't go far enough comparing them to tiktok where parents can lock a child's account. on capitol hill today, senators will question mosseri about instagram's impact on the mental health of teenagers. it comes months after a former facebook employee testified saying the company's own research showing apps like instagram can contribute to emotional problems among teens, especially among girls. >> facebook knows that its amplification algorithms can lead children from very innocuous topics like healthy recipes -- i think all of us could eat a little more healthy -- all the way from something innocent like healthy recipes to

some blamed ceo adam mosseri for knowing the negative effects.am has and that doing anything about it. most areas says that instagram plans to roll out new parental control measures. this march. they include notifying parents, iv a child report, someone in the app and the following. pat allowing parents to set a time limit. >> the parent knows best. what's best for their teams to the appropriate amount of time. should be a decision by a parent about the specific team. >> yesterday instagram announced a number of measures aimed at making it a safer platform for teenagers. but senators marsha blackburn and richard blumenthal say those solutions are just not enough. they plan to introduce a bill to hold all big tech companies accountable through independent oversight. >> now to our 4 zone forecast as we take a live look outside at san francisco international airport where people are coming and going into the bay area tonight. >> they better get in fast because they want to land before that rain starts right? laura. yeah, we're seeing some showers be

adam mosseri: >> it's not only fortunate me that people feel safe on our platform but they feel goodime they spend on instagram. >> reporter: the app, owned by facebook parent meta, is under the microscope out of concern over its impact on children. wil moving forward, instagram says it will point teens towards topy other topics if they appear to be dwelling on something and will soon roll out controls, allowing parents to monitor the time teens spend on instagram and set limits. college student lily miller spends hours a day on social media apps, like instagram. >> you see what others are doing, what they're wearing, you and feel i should be doing this or i'm missing out on something or they're living a completely different life. why isn't mine like that? so it's-- it can be harmful. >> reporter: leaked internal documents showed the app encourages prolonged use and can lead some teens to even contemplate suicide, something the company disputes. >> not only do they know that their destructive content is driving kids down these rabbit holes to eating disorders and self-harm, even suic

adam mosseri urged the creation of an industry body to determine best practices to keep young people. a saudi man arrested in paris on tuesday on suspicion of involvement in the killing of the saudi arabian journalist, jamal khashoggi, has been released. prosecutors said it was a case of mistaken identity. brazilian football legend pele has been hospitalized in sao paulo, to undergo treatment for a colon tumour. the hospital said his condition is stable. the three—time world cup winner, who's 81 years old, had a tumour removed in september. pfizer—biontech say three doses of their covid vaccine have been able to neutralise the new omicron variant of coronavirus, following initial tests. but they said two doses may not be sufficient to protect against infection from the new variant. it all underlines the importance of getting fully vaccinated, as our medical editor fergus walsh reports. there are many remarkable stories of survival against the odds on covid wards. this patient was admitted to university hospital coventry six weeks ago, pregnant and unvaccinated. she was put on a venti

adam mosseri urged the creation of an industry body to determine best practices to keep young peoplef involvement in the killing of the saudi arabian journalist, jamal khashog—ji, has been released. the paris prosecutor's office said that identity checks had established that an arrest warrant issued by turkey did not apply to the man. prosecutors in ghislaine maxwell's trial have presented previously unseen photos they say link the socialite to paedophile jeffrey epstein. ms maxwell is accused of grooming underage girls for abuse between 1994 and 200a. she has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and seven other charges. president biden will host what he's calling a �*summit for democracy on friday�* as part of an effort to confront what he sees as authoritarian forces led by china and russia. those countries of course, are not on the guest list. but taiwan — which beijing considers its own territory will be taking part. i spoke to shelley rigger, professor of political science at davidson college, north carolina to ask whether the us is positioning this summit as a way to put press

instagram ceo adam mosseri spoke about it in november. take a break. >> and it does what you think it if you opt in a curr nt is you to take a break from instagram spend a certain amount of time on 1020. >> 30 minutes is a good start in that instagram it's saying, look, we have a problem and we need to have features that are going to address the issue but clinical psychologist and author of the book logged in and stress out. doctor paula, dear lawsky says while the features are a good start. >> the real regulation should be parental, especially with research showing the site can cause issues around teen mental health, including body image issues among teenage girls it also is a good start. for parents beginning or tonight parents and to remind them that this is the time to have conversations with your teenage daughters body image about self steam about what it means to develop into a healthy woman. >> that was craig treadway reporting earlier this year. facebook's former product manager disclosed thousands of company documents to lawmaker

. >> reporter: in the senate hot seat, instagram head adam mosseri pushed back that the app can be toxic for teens. >> instagram is addictive. >> respectfully, i don't believe the research suggests that our products are addictive. >> reporter: mosseri's first appearance on capitol hill follow leaked internal documents showing the app proved harmful to young girls, increasing anxiety about body image and even encouraging some teens to contemplate suicide. he said the industry supports verifying age, building age-appropriate experienceand effective parental controls. >> i think we have to reach the point where we realize some real bad stuff is happening, and... you're the new tobacco, whether you like it or not. and you've got to stop selling the tobacco. >> reporter: 15-year-old mason bogard died after apparently attempting a choking challenge he saw online. his mother, joann. >> i think now is the time for congress to pass the legislation so that we can hold them-- big tech accountable for these things that they're letting slide through. they're harming our kids. >> reporter: ahead of th

. >> reporter: adam mosseri pointing to outside research showing more teens use tiktok and youtube. and today, introducing a new safety net hours before that hearing, telling lawmakers the company will take more steps to protect children, including prompts to suggest users take a break, and other parental controls. but senators say the damage has already been done. >> instagram is addictive. >> senator, respectfully, i don't believe that research suggests that our products are addictive. >> reporter: many of those claims directly contradict a whistle-blower who came forward weeks ago, accusing the company of choosing profit over safety. and as for those new parental controls, those will not be added to instagram until march. david? >> all right, rachel scott on the hill tonight. rachel, thank you. >>> next, to the sex trafficking trial of ghislaine maxwell. jurors seeing new images of maxwell with jeffrey epstein. prosecutors arguing they appear to be a happy couple in the images, attempting to portray them as partners in crime. a third accuser now also taking the stand, identify bi

adam mosseri: >> it's not only important me that people feel safe on our platform but they feel good about the time they spend on instagram. >> reporter: the app, owned by facebook parent meta, is under the microscope out of concern over its impact on children. moving forward, instagram says it will point teens towards other topics if they appear to be dwelling on something and will soon roll out controls, allowing parents to monitor the time teens spend on instagram and set limits. college student lily miller spends hours a day on social media apps, like instagram. >> you see what others are doing, what they're wearing, you and feel i should be doing this or i'm missing out on something or they're living a completely different life. why isn't mine like that? so it's-- it can be harmful. >> reporter: leaked internal documents showed the app encourages prolonged use and can lead some teens to even contemplate suicide, something want company disputes. >> not only do they know that their destructive content is driving kids down these rabbit holes to eating disorders and self-harm, even

harmful content but the timing was largely criticised as the announcement came just a day before adam mosseriause executives from the cryptocurrency industry have been giving evidence to congress. the cryptocurrency market is worth more than two trillion dollars, and with the surge in interest in digital assets, some lawmakers are pushing for regulation. here�*s what the chair of the house financial services committee, maxine waters — had to say. americans are increasingly making financial decisions using digital assets every day. even some pension funds are beginning to invest in tractor currencies on behalf of retirees, despite the track record of volatility of crypto currencies as investments. the pandemic has also continued to contribute to working families looking for alternatives to rebuild their nest egg by investing in crypto the rapid growth of this industry has also become more visible with celebrity endorsements and atms that exchange cash for crypto currency. however, several questions remain as to how traditional rules apply and whether regulators have sufficient authority to pro

edward jones . >>> instagram top executive adam mosseri testified before the senate yesterday callingyouth online instagram announced new safety features, questions remain what would be the most effective way to police social media jonathan green blat is the ceo and national director. i know you have a lot of thoughts about tech regulation in general today let's focus on children. this is an area where democrats and republicans seem to agree on a lot of points. it's kind of surprising not more has been done to this point? what did you think of the testimony yesterday? >> look, i think the testimony yesterday was quite revealing. facebook around meta as you talked about in the previous hour claim they want regulation. it's seems cynical when they are simply unwilling to make the changes today that would require any government intervention that can make the platform safer for children all children. at the adl, we found literally just yesterday that with just a few key strokes minors can easily access extremists and white supremacist information all over instagram and there was another s

emily: there was another exchange between senator marsha blackburn and adam mosseri about the time he down with jojo siwa, the youtube star, and she indicated she has been on instagram since he was a young child. take a listen to that exchange with senator blackburn red sen. blackburn: at that moment when you responded to her that you didn't want to know, wouldn't you use that as a teaching moment? adam: senator, i would say it was a missed opportunity. sen. blackburn: indeed, and it sends the wrong message. it looked as if you were encouraging kids that want to be online stars to build their audience. this is a part of our frustration. emily: naomi, he did ultimately admit he was wrong. does this speak to the don't ask, don't tell approach these companies have had for so long towards children? naomi: instagram only started investing its technological resources to identify the true age of its youngest users at around 2019. the company has not at that work for so long. one of the other things we saw adam stay at the hearing was that he thinks this idea of identifying a user's true age,

>> well, it was his first congressional testimony, and adam mosseri defended the efforts to protect teens on the platform, saying it's in the company's best interesting to make it a positive and safe one. senators pushed mosseri whether the incentives are at odds with what's best for teens? >> have you not done things to get more teenagers interested in your product are you not worried about losing them to other platform you better tell the truth, under oath. >> absolutely, senator senator, we try to make it as relevant as possible for all ages teens do amazing things on instagram every day, but we also invest, i believe more than anyone else, in keeping people, including teens, safe. >> reporter: mosseri was pressed by a number of different senators whether he would agree to permanently halt instagram for kids he said, no, it makes sense to give kids and teens a service just targeted for them he repeatedly said that inns that gram should not be the only one criticized, and it's doing more than its pierceers, snap ad youtube. >>> let's trade it, folks make, tim seymour, we'll start with y

adam mosseri urged the creation of an industry body to determine best practices to keep young peoplebeen released. the paris prosecutor's office said that identity checks had established that an arrest warrant issued by turkey did not apply to the man. underwater now, where scientists who "eavesdropped" on a restored coral reef in indonesia say their recordings of fish "whooping, croaking and growling" are the reef coming back to life. take a listen to this. over a decade, the reef has been re—seeded with new corals. the researchers used underwater microphones to record. and these sounds, some of which have never been recorded before, provide a measure of the health of the reef. doctor tim lamont from the university of exeter was the lead researcher of the study. the fish continue to surprise and amaze us the longer we listen. we joke that the longer we listen, the weirded kits. in almost every time weirded kits. in almost every time we go out, fish can make more in weirder and more diverse sounds than weirder and more diverse sounds than we ever thought before. sound is a very impor

. >> reporter: in the senate hot seat instagram head adam mosseri pushed back on claims the app can beic for teens. >> instagram is addictive. >> respectfully, i don't believe the research suggests that your products are addict i have. >> reporter: his first appearance on capitol hill follows leaked internal documents showing the app proved harmful to young girls, increasing anxieties about body image, and encouraging some teens to even contemplate suicide. he told senators instagram supports an industry-wide body to determine best practices for safety issues, like verifyng age, building age-appropriate experiences, and effective parental controls. >> i think we have to reach the point where we realize some real bad stuff is happening and, um, you're the new tobacco whether you like it or not and you have got to stop selling the tobacco. >> reporter: 15 year old mason died after apparently atichlting a choking challenge he saw online. his mother, joanne. >> i think now is the time for congress to pass the legislation so that we can hold them -- hold big tech accountable for these thing

adam mosseri writing the platform will stop people from tagging or mentioning teens that don't followtools for parents to get more involved in their teens' experiences on instagram, robin. >> rebecca, have we already gotten a sense how senators are responding to this news? >> yeah, for a lot it's too little too late. for example, republican senator marsha blackburn criticized the company's product announcement as hollow saying in a statement that the company's attempting to shift attention from their mistakes by rolling out these new parental guidelines, use timers and content control features that consumers should have had all along. instagram says they will coninue to pause those plans for the instagram for kid service. still a lot of questions here, robin. >> i know you'll be back with those answers for us. in time. thank you, rebecca. >> thanks. >>> coming up here on "gma," that heartbreak for nick cannon sharing that he lost his 5-month-old son to brain cancer. this morning what parents need to know about that. >>> also we'll check in with will smith telling us about his new show

. >>> instagram ceo adam mosseri is denying the company's own research which shows the app's harmfullley executive testified before the senate and defended instagram after a wave of backlash. it comes after a whistle-blower said its parent company, meta, facebook, said there are thoughts of self-harm to teenagers. >> do you believe there's short-term or long-term body image issues on your platform? >> senator, i appreciate the question. the research that we have found shows that many teens use instagram to get support when suffering from issues body issues. for 11 out of 12 girls and 12 out of 12, body image, anxiety, depression, we found more teens struggling, found instagram made things better than worse. >> will you commit to make the pause on instagram kids perm permanent, in other words, stop developing a site or app for children under 13. >> senator, the idea of building a version of instagram for 10 to 12-year-olds was to solve a problem. we know they're online. they want to use platforms like instagram, and it's difficult for a dpaep like ours to verify age for those who are

julian joins us with a look at this >> well, adam mosseri will be grilled by the same senate committeeur now mosseri can expect bipartisan criticism about instagram's negative impact on teens just yesterday, instagram announced product updates to better protect teens and some new parental controls that are set to launch early next year. but those updates seem to further infuriate senator marsha blackburn. her prepared re, mas say the product updates are, quote, too little too late and time to pass a national consumer privacy bill and kids-specific legislation. mosseri in the hot seat as a number of other senior meta executives leave their seats just yesterday, head of messenger vp of workplace announced their departures this comes after meta's digital currency lead david marcus announced his departure last week chief technology analyst mark is stepping down and ad chief carolyn everson left earlier this year for instacart. saying turn is normal and we're proud to have added more than 10,000 employees in 2021 alone and have a strong bench of leaders across the company that will drive ou

adam mosseri facing tough questions about the negative impact of the popular app on kids.he app does not do enough to protect its young users. as donie o'sullivan reports, the instagram chief's testimony comes after months of scrutiny over the harmful effects of instagram and facebook, particularly on young users. >> self-policing depends on trust. the trust is gone. >> reporter: the head of instagram facing a disturbing picture of his platform in and the harm it causes especially among kids. >> do you view the kids as a feeder way for people to get into your product? have you not -- have you not done things to get more teenagers interested in your product? are you not worried about losing them to other platforms? you better tell the truth. you're under oath. >> reporter: it's the latest round of tough questions from lawmakers for meta, formerly facebook, which owns instagram. >> shouldn't children and parents have the right to report dangerous material and get a response? >> senator, yes, i believe we try and respond to all reports. and if we ever fail to do so, that's a

>> what is interesting about today is that it is adam mosseri, one of zuckerberg's top lieutenants, but it is very different to zuckerberg. he is seen as quite personable. it is his first time testifying before congress. and unlike zuckerberg, he hasn't got that public scrutiny that we have seen of other executives like sandberg or mark himself. even this year mosseri was honored as a co-chair of the met gala. this is going to be his first time testifying. i expect us to hear the regular kind of excuses, to be honest, saying this is hard stuff, we can't find it all, we're never going to be able to solve all our problems while also turning a multibillion dollar profit. and just one more thing i want to add, brianna, last week we reported on this show how there were ads, paid ads, running on facebook, comparing the vaccine to the holocaust and comparing covid restrictions in the u.s. to nazi germany. now, when we brought those ads to facebook's attention, they said they were against their covid misinformation policies and took them down. last night we found the same ads, the exact same ad

. >> the head of instagram today, adam mosseri told lawmakers that child safety is not about one companyyoutube are used by kids more than instagram and also deferred to an outside group to call the shots on child safety. he told lawmakers someone else should decide how to verify age, how to design age appropriate experiences online and how to build in those parental controls. he admitted that that policy will take time and the top democratic on the committee, richard blumenthal said there's not time. >> we all know that facebook saw a significant threat to its growth or add revenue, they wouldn't wait two months. why does it take months for facebook to act when our kids face danger, when time is not on our side? >> martha, there was an interesting moment. senator blackburn had her staff create a fake instagram account of a 15-year-old child. instagram says that they make sure those accounts default to private. when they tried it out, that 15-year-old account went immediately to public. so there's some questions that instagram's protocols are not practicing what they're preaching. martha

on capitol hill, senators grilled instagram ceo adam mosseri wednesday amid damning reports the social app causes widespread mental harm to children and teenagers. moeri said congress should create a body to regulate social media, placing the responsibility for its dangers on the industry at large. instagram recently halted plans for an app geared towards children. but under questioning, mosseri would not commit to never developing such an app, saying instead if created, it would require parental consent. this is senator amy klobuchar. >> i think we are in diametrically opposed goals, the goals of parents out the and the goals of your company stopped our kids are not cash cows. that is exactly what has been going on because when you look at the marketing budget and you look at what your company has done, it is to trying get more and more of them on board. amy: instagram is owned by facebook. the former chief of staff for president trump on wednesday asked a federal judge to block subpoenas from the house committee investigating the january 6 capitol insurrection. mark meadows' lawsuit

from both sides of the aisle yesterday asking very tough and informed questions of instagram's adam mosseriram accounts to try to drive that point home. one senator said after creating one test account as a teen, within an hour that account was being recommended pro-eating disorder content by instagram's algorithms and then there was this exchange between one senator and mosseri about a surgeon general's report from just this week about the potential for technology and social media to cause harms to mental health. let's have a listen here. >> i want to be clear that i don't believe the research shows social media is driving the rise in suicides. >> wait. why do you think the surgeon general of the united states just issued a 53-page report on mental health and teen suicides said that we should limit social media to help get out of this crisis? >> senator, from what i've read of the surgeon general's report so far it's about a number of different issues. not just suicides. to make a connection between one problem he talks about one of the recommendations he makes i think is a bit of a lead.

the ceo adam mosseri is going to be questioned by a senate panel. facebook. you know our metal which owns instagram is accused of concealing these negative internal findings about how instagram can really hurt the mental health of teenagers. and cause them to go down rabbit holes that in some cases no return from its very sad. the testimony begins at 1130. and this all comes after instagram recently launched a new feature. they say have this feature. james, that is like take a take a break right. congress has been arguing for years. that that ain't going to cut right. like they want regulations so facebook met has risen by and we want regulations. please give us regulations that apparently the past 8 years. they say no regulation was a big battle going on here and it's over. our kids. mental health. some parents are very concerned about what this is doing to their kids. so we're going to really be keeping an eye on what happens is here today, ok, 21 are also keeping an eye to. >> in dc with senate democrats are going to try, they say, to pass president biden'

adam mosseri testified at a u.s.e hearing amid growing criticism of how instagram affects the mental health of young users. democrat richard blumenthal questioned how new standards would be policed. >> would the attorney general of the united states, or the attorney general of a state like connecticut, where i was attorney general, have the power to enforce those standards? >> senator, we believe in enforcement. specifically how to implement that enforcement is something that we would like to work with your office on, and other offices as well. >> well, that's a simple yes or no. enforceability has to be part of your proposal. >> senator, i agree. enforceability is incredibly important. >> woodruff: mosseri also did not commit to permanently terminating plans for a version of the platform for kids under 13. those plans have been suspended since september. former white house chief of staff mark meadows is suing the congressional committee investigating last january's assault on the u.s. capitol. he says that the commi

. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ >>> this morning, is big tech back in the hot seat as head of instagram adam mosseri is setrd from a watchdog group insta is pushing drug-related content to teens despite the company's pledge to crack down. here's another way to crack down. don't ever put it on there. i bring in a "new york times" opinion writer host of the sway podcast and pivot podcast and knows all things tech. when it comes to tech ceos actually more cynical than i am. that's hard to do. okay. he's going to testify today. people are going to be outraged, they're going to scream and yell. is anything ever going to happen? i think it's a question what they're going to do. a lot of them are announcing good things to do, probably should have done been from the beginning. like using a spoon to push back the ocean. they're going to be, looking over news of instagram. talk about the drug-related thing. things around eating. the system's already in place. what do we do with the system as it is? small changing around the edges, announced. some of which, a good idea. all very good ideas or do something more signif

and those flames blumenthal blamed instagrams ceo adam mosseri on wednesday for knowing the negativets. instagram has on the mental health of young people and not doing anything about it. >> says instagram plans to roll out new parental control features in this march, including notifying parents if their child report someone in the app and allowing parents to set time limits. the parent knows best. what's best for their teams to the appropriate amount of time. >> should be a decision by a parent about the specific team. but republican senator marsha blackburn wasn't convinced telling teens, too. take a break. might seem helpful on the face of things is probably not going to get most teenagers. >> stopped doing what they're doing. self-policing depends on trust. the trust is gone. senators blackburn and blumenthal say the solutions instagram has introduced are not enough. >> they plan to introduce a bill to hold big tech companies accountable through independent oversight in washington. i'm anna wiernicki. >> up next here 3, how to make sure that the purchase that you just made was no

. >>> on capitol hill today, the instagram ceo adam mosseri was grilled during a contentious hearing for stricter government oversight of social media apps. democratic senator richard blumenthal asked the instagram boss why the company didn't do anything about a set of accounts promoting eating disorders to kids until cnn reported those back in october. >> shouldn't children and parents have the right to report dangerous material and get a response? get some action? because wove heard harrowing stories from parents who've tried to report and have heard no response. my office made a report and got no response until cnn made the report to press relations. shouldn't there be an obligation that instagram will respond? >> senator, yes, i believe we try and respond to all reports. and if we ever fail to do so, that is a mistake that we should correct. >> senator blumenthal was referring to an experiment run by his office back in september where they set up an instagram account belonging to a 13-year-old girl. the account followed some pages about dieting and eating disorders, and quickly i

. >> i mentioned meta, company formerly known as facebook which owns instagram, we saw adam mosseri testifyrtainly seems to be a bipartisan push against this company, although we haven't necessarily seen anything meaningful in terms of policies or regulations if you had to give him a grade for that testimony what would it be >> f >> really? >> yeah. here's the reason why. okay so mosseri is out there saying yesterday, please regulate us. simultaneously, in europe, where the general data protection regulation is supposed to provide a relatively low standard of privacy, and in california where the california computer privacy act does something similar, facebook is contending that those laws do not apply to it. so on the one hand mosseri is saying regulate us, but on the other hand regulations exist but pretend like they don't apply to us that is just facebook being facebook again, from an investor point of view, the regulators are doing a terrible job right. the enforcement isn't good in the united states we're not moving forward quickly enough. so from an investor point of view facebook at t

. >> instagram's ceo adam mosseri on defense. >> we want teens to be safe online. >> reporter: pointing to new safety tools the company just rolled out, like a take a break feature to stop endless scrolling, nudges to keep teens from dwelling on one topic for too long, and soon parental controls to let adults set time limits for teens. >> there's no area more important than safety. >> reporter: some lawmakers dismissing the moves as too little too late, insisting congress needs to pass tough new regulations with new pressure after the leaked documents suggested instagram led 1 out of 3 teen girl users to feel worse about their body image gabriella, now 19, knows what that's like. she said she started struggling with body image issues when she was just 12 after comparing herself to models and celebrities on instagram >> i would cover my face when i took a picture and pose my body in a certain way. >> reporter: instagram and facebook now known as meta dispute the characterizations of some of the leaked research. and while mosseri told craig in september they're putting plans for instagram

its ceo, adam mosseri set to face tough questions from a senate committee one day after the company rolled out new safety features. those features include options that prevent people from tagging teens who don't follow them, a prompt to take a brock after hours of scrolling and parental control toes let adults see how long their teens spend on the app and set time limits. some experts, skeptical. >> give me a break >> reporter: today's hearing coming after explosive reporting found facebook, now known as meta, and instagram are aware of how their apps can have a toxic effect on some teens, especially girls. "the wall street journal" reporting internal facebook research found one in three teen girl users says instagram has contributed to their own body issues, eating disorders, anxiety and depression the company ames to address any issues with potentially negative effects of the app >> if anybody leaves instagram feeling worse about themselves, that's an important issue that we need to take seriously. >> reporter: facebook whistle-blower francis halgan testifying in front of congress in oct

. >> well, adam mosseri, head of instagram, is talking right now.timony saying that he believes that instagram can be a force for good, saying that he wants an industry body to set standards and regulations to protect kids, not just on instagram. he pointed a finger at some other platforms. >> but the reality is that keeping people safe is not just about any one company. an external survey just last month suggested that more teens are using tiktok and youtube than instagram this is an industry-wide challenge and requires industry-wide solutions and industry-wide standards. >> richard blumenthal and marsha blackburn kicked off the hearing with prepared remarks. they said they thought instagram's recent product updates are insufficient >> two months ago the global head of public safety for fbi w for facebook was put on notice by this subcommittee nothing has changed. and in the meantime more lives have been broken >> blumenthal just now pushing mosseri on whether he thinks instagram should restrict addictive signs. mosseri saying that the algorithm is

as a note to start, i understand adam mosseri has a hard stop at 5:00. i'm going to be strict on the five minute time limit. thought, i will be strict on the time limit. i will be ruthless, attempting to be ruthless as any senator can be with his colleagues. in this series of hearings, we have heard some powerful and compelling evidence about the dangers of women's health, well-being and future. our nation is in the midst of 18 mental health crisis. social media did not create it but it fed the file created. if anyone has any doubts on the effect, certain general yesterday issued a powerful -- about the implications of social media, gaming and other technologies on teen mental health. that is part of the reason we are here. the hearings have shown that social media, in particular tech, actually fans those flames with sophisticated algorithms that can exploit children's insecurities and anxiety. our mission is to do something about it. we are here to do more than take steps. we some of the big companies have said to trust us. that is seemingly what they'r

. >> reporter: instagram ceo adam mosseri on defense. >> we all want teens to be safe online. >> reportersome dismissing the moves as too little too late insisting congress needs to pass tough new regulations with new pressure after the leak documents suggested instagram led girls to feel worse about their body image. this girl says she started struggling with body image issues when she was 12 after comparing herself to models and celebrities on instagram. >> i would cover my face when i took a picture and try to pose my body in a certain way. >> reporter: instagram and facebook, now known as meta, dispute the characterizations of the leaked research. while mosseri told craig in september they're putting plans for instagram kids on hold -- >> we want to talk to parents and safety experts and get more consensus how to move forward. >> reporter: he testified they're not spiking the idea altogether. >> i believe as a parent to develop more responsible for those under 13. >> that was nbc's hallie jackson reporting. >>> still ahead, more on the dangers of social media. how well-meaning america

. >> i realize this is not your committee adam mosseri will be tefgs. went ahead and made some changes. some of them seem like good changes, the idea that you will not be able to comment on someone's instagram feed if they don't follow you that seems like pretty good protection does this go far enough in. >> no, it doesn't. this is this an area in the last five years, since we first discovered the manipulation by the russians on facebook and other platforms during the 2016 elections, when we've seen these whistle blowers come forward on a variety of platforms, the idea that we will leave some of the largest companies in the world to self regulate is just plain kraechltz even the platform companies have started to say at least in their advertising they'd like some regulation. i will go through this quickly there are four different buckets. one bucket has been privacy where frankly the europeans have already moved certain states like california and virginia have moved we still don't have any federal privacy legislation. the second bucket is more around pr