Executives from Meta, Roblox and TikTok have denied their platforms are inherently addictive to children, during a combative appearance before the House of Commons education select committee. The representatives faced robust questioning from MPs about the impact of screen time and social media on young people.
A fourth executive, from Snapchat, had been due to attend Tuesday’s hearing but cancelled at short notice, prompting a sharp rebuke from committee chair Helen Hayes. She warned Snapchat that the committee would use its powers to summon a witness if they did not cooperate and agree to appear next week. A Snapchat spokesperson later said the cancellation was due to unforeseen circumstances and that they were committed to a productive discussion.
The three executives who gave evidence insisted their platforms were not designed to be addictive and said there was no evidence they were ‘addictive by nature’. Rebecca Stimson, Meta’s UK director of public policy, told MPs: “We don’t design Instagram or Facebook to be addictive.” However, she acknowledged risks of misuse and said tools had been built to restrict teen activity and enhance parental oversight.
The executives also told MPs they believed a social media ban for under-16s, favoured by many parents, would be unenforceable. Stimson cited the Australian experience, where early research shows most children are still using social media despite a ban. “We don’t think it’s something that’s actually possible in practice,” she said.
The hearing followed a court case in Los Angeles last month in which Meta and YouTube were found liable for deliberately designing addictive products that harmed a young user. Both platforms have announced plans to appeal. Laura Higgins of Roblox said: “There’s no evidence directly that says games are addictive by nature,” while TikTok’s Alistair Law added: “I don’t think there’s been a clinical finding of addictiveness on this.”
