Yahoo News Is Facebook harming young people? Social media giant could be forced to reveal data
Just how harmful is Facebook to young people? So far, it’s an open question, due to the way social media giants jealously guard their data.
But that could be about to change, as the Commons science and technology committee has suggested that social media giants could be forced to open up their information.
The committee said that legislation was needed to allow access to data stored by companies such as Facebook and Twitter.
Studies have linked the use of social media to mental health disorders – and also to online bullying and grooming by paedophiles.
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The committee said that social media companies had refused to share data with researchers, the Guardian reports.
Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat MP who chairs the committee said that the committee ‘understood’ the need to protect user privacy.
Lamb said, ‘sharing data with bona fide researchers is the only way society can truly start to understand the impact, both positive and negative, that social media is having on the modern world.’
‘During our inquiry, we heard that social media companies had openly refused to share data with researchers who are keen to examine patterns of use and their effects. This is not good enough.’
