Former Meta executive and whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams alleged in Senate testimony on Wednesday that the social media giant knowingly allowed advertisers to target emotionally vulnerable teenagers, including those experiencing feelings of worthlessness or depression.
Wynn-Williams, who served as Meta’s Director of Global Public Policy and recently published a memoir titled Careless People, detailed how the company — then known as Facebook — shared data with advertisers that revealed the emotional state of its youngest users, often to exploit their vulnerabilities for profit.
“It could identify when [teens] were feeling worthless or helpless or like a failure,” she told lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on crime and terrorism. “Meta would take that information and share it with advertisers.”
According to Wynn-Williams, the company positioned these emotional insights as valuable marketing tools, with one executive reportedly saying Meta should be “trumpeting” the fact that it had access to “the most valuable segment of the population” for advertisers: teenagers.
The explosive claims came during a hearing primarily focused on Meta’s dealings with China and past testimony to Congress. However, the conversation quickly shifted to Meta’s track record on teen safety, reviving concerns raised during prior investigations into the impact of Instagram on adolescent mental health.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) pressed Wynn-Williams about the company’s alleged practices, which she described as “disturbing and deeply unethical.” Wynn-Williams confirmed that Meta targeted ads to 13- to 17-year-olds during emotionally low periods, citing examples such as beauty ads delivered after a teen girl deleted a selfie or weight-loss promotions when young users expressed body image concerns.
She claimed these tactics were part of a broader strategy that prioritized profit over user welfare, despite internal awareness of the risks involved. “These were vulnerable kids,” she said. “But to Meta, they were also profitable.”
One particularly damning piece of evidence presented during the hearing was an internal company message, where a Facebook policy staffer casually referenced research into young mothers’ emotional states. Another employee reportedly joked that they would consult their “apparently morally bankrupt colleagues” for more information.
Wynn-Williams also criticized what she described as a culture of hypocrisy at the company’s highest levels. “Many executives wouldn’t allow their own teenagers to use the products they were building,” she said. “They knew the harm. They saw it. But they kept pushing forward for growth.”
In a statement issued after the hearing, Meta strongly denied the allegations, calling Wynn-Williams’ testimony “divorced from reality and riddled with false claims.” The company did not directly address whether it had shared emotional data with advertisers in the past.
