In a U.S. Senate hearing, former Facebook executive Sarah Wynn-Williams claimed that Meta Platforms Inc. deliberately targeted emotionally vulnerable teenagers with tailored advertisements, raising serious ethical and privacy concerns about the company’s advertising practices. Wynn-Williams, who previously served as Director of Global Public Policy at Facebook, testified that the social media giant identified and exploited the emotional states of 13- to 17-year-olds to serve them ads—particularly when they were feeling depressed, insecure, or worthless. “It could detect when teens were feeling helpless or like a failure, and then use that data to allow advertisers to target them accordingly,” she said in response to a question from Senator Marsha Blackburn, according to a report.
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The former executive explained that emotionally charged moments were seen as commercial opportunities. For instance, if a teenage girl deleted a selfie—interpreted as a sign of low self-esteem—the platform would respond by pushing beauty product ads. Similarly, teens with body image concerns were allegedly shown ads for weight loss products, she said. While Meta has strongly denied the claims, calling them “false and disconnected from reality,” the testimony has intensified scrutiny on the company’s data practices, especially concerning adolescents.
The hearing, although primarily focused on Meta’s relationship with China, took a sharp turn with the emotional advertising revelations. Wynn-Williams also accused the tech giant of compromising U.S. national security, alleging that Meta had briefed the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on sensitive technologies such as artificial intelligence as early as 2015.
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She asserted that these briefings potentially enabled China to advance its AI capabilities, giving it an edge in competing with American tech firms. Wynn-Williams resigned from Meta in 2017, but her testimony has revived concerns over the company’s long-standing approach to user data, particularly in how it monetizes the behavior and mental state of young users.
The testimony has prompted calls for greater regulation of tech platforms, especially regarding youth protection, ad targeting, and international partnerships with adversarial nations.