Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle took a tough stance with Instagram LLC head Adam Mosseri, who testified before the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Data Security on Dec. 8.

While no major legislation was announced immediately, one thing seemed clear: There is bipartisan agreement that more oversight of social media is needed, particularly for platforms that extend services to child users. The Dec. 8 hearing followed a whirlwind of scrutiny this fall after leaked documents from Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen indicated Instagram parent Meta Platforms Inc. was aware that usage of the photo-sharing social platform contributed to worsening mental and physical health of some of its users, notably teenage girls.

Ranking subcommittee member Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., during the hearing acknowledged Instagram's recent platform updates, including a feature to prompt users to stop scrolling after a period of time, but called the updates "too little too late" for those concerned about Instagram's impact on the mental health of children.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who heads the subcommittee, agreed: "Self-policing based on trust is no longer a viable solution," Blumenthal said in a closing statement.

Here are some major takeaways from the hearing:

Consensus is building for additional oversight of social media, but details remain divisive

Instagram's Mosseri urged Congress to create an industry body that would determine best practices for children's social platform, including setting standards regarding age verification, age-appropriate experience and parental controls.

"The body could take steps to require each member to publish regular reports on the progress they are making against each standard and to develop a free and accessible information hub for parents and educators," Mosseri said in his opening statement.

Blumenthal noted that an industry panel is not necessarily independent, at least not as compared to government regulators at a U.S. agency.

A source told S&P Global Market Intelligence that changes to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule, or COPPA, may be introduced as legislation that raises the age cap for using social media above 13 years of age.

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. asked Mosseri if he would commit to supporting changes in COPPA. Mosseri argued in response that a change in the law would make age verification more challenging.

Instagram Kids project is not dead

Although development on a version of Instagram for children under the age of 13 was paused by the platform's parent following widespread public criticism in September, Mosseri's testimony indicated the project was not dead yet.

When asked by lawmakers about a full-stop to the development of Instagram Kids, the head executive did not commit to shelving that version of the platform. Rather, Mosseri said he envisioned it as a way to protect users under the age of 13 from using the current build of the Instagram app.

"What I can commit to today is that no child between the ages of 10 and 12, should we ever manage to build Instagram for 10- to 12-years-olds, will have access to that without their explicit parental consent," Mosseri said.

Changes to user experiences are on the way

Mosseri confirmed to Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., that the company is developing a version of the platform that would chronologically display content to users instead of the current model of engagement-based ranking of posts. Mosseri said the change would give users more control of their experiences.

The chronological timeline version of the platform is targeted for release sometime in the first quarter of next year.

The Instagram head also supported the idea of algorithmic transparency, where the factors that influence algorithmic decision-making are explained to users in plain language. Recommender algorithms, automated tools that make content more personalized, have been criticized as making social media more addictive.

Thune is leading a bipartisan, bicameral push to pass the Filter Bubble Transparency Act, which would require platforms to give users the option to opt-out of personalized, targeted content on social platforms. However, some experts told Market Intelligence last month that the legislation could be ineffective or may end up backfiring.

Congress is not done investigating

Blumenthal told reporters that the subcommittee plans to hold additional hearings pertaining to child safety on social platforms. He said other witnesses from Meta's companies may potentially testify but declined to comment on specific individuals.

Sen. Blackburn said there is a disconnect between Mosseri's perception of Instagram and lawmakers' perception of the platform.

"They [Instagram] want to say that they're making these efforts [to improve the platform]. The issue is that the problem is continuing to get worse. And we're hearing more about it every single day," Blackburn told reporters.

The senator declined to comment on whether she was in touch with other whistleblowers from Meta, but said the committee will have more to say soon about legislation regarding kids' privacy, data security and Section 230 reform.

Blackburn also said the committee will try to schedule another hearing "before the end of the year."