Meta Tracks Teens’ Feelings for Profit, Former Executive Tells US Congress

In a startling revelation, former Meta (formerly Facebook) executive turned whistleblower, Sarah Wynn-Williams, testified before the U.S. Congress, exposing how the social media giant tracks teenagers—aged 13 to 17—and monitors their emotional states for targeted advertising purposes.

Speaking to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism during a hearing titled “A Time for Truth: Oversight of Meta’s Foreign Relations and Representations to the United States Congress”, Wynn-Williams detailed how Meta exploited vulnerable teens for profit.

Wynn-Williams, who served as Meta’s Director of Global Public Policy until 2017, explained: “Meta didn’t just collect data from teens; it watched how they felt and used those feelings to sell them things. The company tracked teenagers’ emotional states and used that information to fine-tune ad targeting. Meta’s systems knew when teens felt insecure or anxious and served them ads for beauty products or weight-loss services right away.”

She revealed that users were not required to fill out mood surveys. Instead, Meta inferred emotional states from behaviours—such as when a teen removed their profile picture—and adjusted ad targeting accordingly.

These revelations have once again underscored the pervasive surveillance exercised by social media platforms, particularly over teenagers.

While the hearing focused primarily on Meta’s business ties with China, Wynn-Williams also discussed broader concerns about the company’s practices. She recently released a book titled Careless People, in which she outlines how Meta undermined its own stated values on free speech and jeopardized U.S. national security in its pursuit of business opportunities in China.

She claimed that Meta had built an $18 billion business with China through a "secret" courtship with Beijing.

“I saw Meta executives repeatedly undermine U.S. national security and betray American values. They did these things in secret to win favor with Beijing and build an $18 billion business in China. We are engaged in a high-stakes AI arms race against China, and during my time at Meta, executives lied about their dealings with the Chinese Communist Party—to employees, shareholders, Congress, and the American public,” she told the Subcommittee.

Wynn-Williams also disclosed that she had been threatened by Meta and accused company founder Mark Zuckerberg of drawing "no red line" in his efforts to curry favour with the Chinese Communist Party.

She further stated: “Meta has been willing to compromise its values, sacrifice the security of its users, and undermine American interests to build its China business. This has been happening for years, covered up by lies—and it continues to this day.”

She also revealed that Meta began briefing the Chinese Communist Party as early as 2015.

“These briefings focused on critical emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. The explicit goal was to help China outcompete American companies. There’s a straight line from those briefings to the recent revelations that China is developing AI models for military use,” she added.

Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams: "Facebook was targeting 13-17-year-olds. It could identify when they were feeling worthless, or helpless... and share it with advertisers." pic.twitter.com/oICt1Mr3dC

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) April 10, 2025

VIDEO: Meta worked 'hand in glove' with China, former executive tells US lawmakers.

Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former Facebook employee behind a scathing book about its parent company Meta, alleges to US senators that the social networking giant collaborated with the Chinese… pic.twitter.com/FDCLtMOUFU

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) April 11, 2025