Kids may be red line in Facebook regulation fight: experts
Gulf Times
Facebook's previous major scandals barely dented its global dominance, but experts said Wednesday the tech giant may have hit a red line this time: evidence that it knew children using its apps were at risk of being harmed.
A day after damning testimony to US lawmakers from Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, the long-established barriers to regulation -- stalled legislation, free speech protections and tech's rapid advances -- were still in place.
But an insider with the company's own documents, showing that Facebook knew its tools risked worsening young people's eating disorders or suicidal thoughts, may have been a turning point.
"The topic of kids being affected negatively by using Instagram or other social media apps is something Republicans and Democrats can agree upon," said Paul Barrett, deputy director of New York University's Stern Center for Business and Human Rights.
