By: The Wall Street Journal
September 28, 2021
Inside Facebook, employees have spent years laying plans to attract preteens, spurred by fears the company could lose a new generation of users critical to its future.
The company formed a team to study preteens, set a three-year goal to create more products for them and commissioned strategy papers about the long-term business opportunities presented by these potential users, internal documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal show. In one presentation, Facebook contemplated whether there might be a way to engage children during play dates.
Facebook’s approach to young users is expected to be addressed during a Senate subcommittee hearing Thursday. In calling for the hearing, lawmakers cited Journal reporting that Facebook’s own research has shown Instagram can have a negative effect on teen mental health, especially among girls.