Private, public sector join on new social media group

Experts spanning the public and private sectors are coming together to lead a new initiative launched by Issue One to address the impacts of social media, the advocacy organization announced Wednesday.

Issue One’s new Council for Responsible Social Media’s members include Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), former
Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.), former Federal Communications Commission Chair Tom Wheeler and others with experience at tech companies, government agencies and civil society organizations.

The council aims to elevate nonpartisan voices including parents, pediatricians, child psychologists and national security experts to help drive the conversation about social media reform at a time when there’s mounting scrutiny about tech companies from both sides of the aisle.

The group is designed to address the harms of social media on three areas: children, communities and national security.