Following the news that Instagram is launching a number of parental controls to improve teen safety on the app which comes the day before Instagram CEO, Adam Mosseri, is set to testify before the US Senate about user safety for the first time;

Rachel Foster Jones, Thematic Analyst at GlobalData, a leadig data and analytics company, offers her view:

“Social media regulation can be likened to the Wild West, and public trust in big tech is at an all-time low. While Mosseri’s testimony will highlight big tech’s unregulated use of algorithms and reignite discussion on accountability, actually regulating big tech’s rampant use of algorithims is uncharted territory. Instagram will need to be incredibly transparent to prove that it is a safe platform.

“Big tech has been given free rein for too long and they have stayed one step ahead of regulators. Proposed legislation from China and the European Commission demonstrates that regulators are keen to control big tech’s influence. Soon, their algorithms will have to become more transparent.”

“Despite Mosseri voluntarily coming forward, big tech will face tighter regulation as they have consistently underplayed their impact on users. At this point, Meta cannot guarantee user safety until it publishes the algorithms it uses to drive engagement, especially as other platforms such as TikTok have already done so.”

Information based on GlobalData’s report: Social Media – Thematic Research