Meta Accused: Whistleblower Claims Company Targeted Teens' Negative Emotions for Ads
Explosive testimony: Ex-Meta Director Sarah Wynn-Williams alleges Facebook targeted teen ads based on emotional vulnerability.
Matilda
Meta Accused: Whistleblower Claims Company Targeted Teens' Negative Emotions for Ads
Yesterday's Senate hearing brought forth some deeply concerning allegations against Meta (formerly Facebook). Sarah Wynn-Williams, the company's former Director of Global Public Policy and author of the tell-all book "Careless People," testified that Meta actively targeted advertisements at teenagers based on their emotional vulnerability. Image Credits:Win McNamee / Getty Images These claims, first detailed in her book documenting alleged disregard for platform harm by top executives like Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, painted a troubling picture during a Senate subcommittee hearing focused on crime and terrorism. While initially looking into Meta's dealings with China, the conversation inevitably turned towards Instagram and its impact on younger users – a topic familiar from 2021 investigations. How Meta Allegedly Targeted Vulnerable Teens Responding to questions from Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), I heard Wynn-Williams state that Meta identified when user…
