Suggesting the changes were to improve a platform that already works hard to protect young people, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri on Tuesday blogged the news of some “new tools and features” to make young people “even safer” on the social media site.

The blog post gave Mosseri something to defend himself with when he faces a congressional gauntlet Wednesday (Dec. 8) during a hearing in the Senate Consumer Protection Subcommittee. The session was called by Democrats who are none too happy with Instagram or parent company Meta (formerly Facebook) over in-house research suggesting the company knows its platform can be harmful to young people.

Mosseri said Instagram will take a “stricter approach” to what it recommends to teens, and will prevent people from tagging or mentioning teens that are not among their followers.

One knock on Instagram is that its recommendations reinforce issues like eating disorders through its recommendations. Mosseri said Instagram will be “nudging” teens toward other topics if they are dwelling on a topic for “a long time,” though it does not say how long.

He said Instagram early next year will also be launching its first tools to help parents “get more involved” in their teens’ Instagram “experiences.” That will include allowing them to see how much time their kids spend on the site and set time limits.

But Mosseri accentuated the positive even as he was talking about eliminating the negative, using language like “continuing” and “keeping,” which signals the company is not ceding its critics any ground.

“Every day I see the positive impact that Instagram has for young people everywhere,” he wrote. “I’m proud that our platform is a place where teens can spend time with the people they care about, explore their interests and explore who they are. I want to make sure that it stays that way, which means above all keeping them safe on Instagram.”

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who is co-chairing the Instagram hearing, told CBS News Tuesday she thought Instagram was taking "half measures," and only because "they know regulation is coming." ■ 

While Big Tech has taken it on the chin from Washington lately, First Lady Melania Trump had some encouraging words for Microsoft.

She was was in Seattle promoting her Be Best kids online safety campaign.

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She met with Microsoft President Brad Smith and CFO Amy Hood and toured kiosks demonstrating Microsoft's effort to meet the campaigns goals
of parental control, tech accessibility (the XBOX adaptive controller), and improving safety.

The First Lady appeared to like what she saw.

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“I am impressed with Microsoft’s dedication to protecting children online and promoting digital civility,” she said, according to the White House. “The technology being designed not only includes safety features but also accessibility for all – a very exciting and new opportunity for many with limited mobility. I am looking forward to using Be Best to promote any digital programs that make online safety and digital civility a priority in today’s technology-driven world.”

Comcast this week launched a campaign that links Internet Essentials, its high-speed internet adoption initiative for low-income households, with members of the Conference of Western Attorneys General and focuses on online safety for seniors, parents and children.

RELATED: Comcast’s ‘Internet Essentials’ Connects 1M Low-Income Households

In Arizona and New Mexico, Comcast said it will partner with both State Attorneys General to raise awareness about online safety, building on a similar effort launched last year with Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

Comcast said the campaign follows recent announcements from the Federal Trade Commission that estimate scammers extracted nearly $1 billion from Americans last year alone, with more than $240 million coming way either online or via email.

In connection, Comcast also announced it is providing support to several national nonprofits focused on internet safety education and research, including Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI); Common Sense Media; and Older Adults Technology Services (OATS).

“We welcome the opportunity to combine our Internet Essentials program with Attorneys General across the nation to provide low-income seniors, parents, and children with the tools and knowledge they need to be safe online,” David Cohen, Comcast ‘s senior executive VP and chief diversity officer, said in a statement. “This is an issue that cuts across party lines. There is a universal desire on the part of law enforcement officials to protect Americans from the potential risks of being online. We also want to address the fear, which is the number one barrier to broadband adoption, that prevents some seniors and families from connecting to the Internet’s life-changing resources.”

“Attorneys General across state and party lines are responsible for protecting citizens from online scams and other predatory behavior,” added Derek Schmidt, Kansas Attorney General and president of the National Association of Attorneys General. “I commend Comcast for their work to protect seniors online by providing these educational materials to our members. This is a true example of a public-private partnership that benefits all of the members of our communities.”

“Older adults are often vulnerable to exploitation by those who prey on the goodness, financial insecurity, or trusting nature of seniors,” said Mark Brnovich, Arizona Attorney General and Chair of the Conference of Western Attorneys General. “My office is dedicated to protecting Arizona seniors from abuse and exploitation. I’m proud to work with Comcast and their Internet Essentials program to help arm our seniors and parents with the tools they need to safely take advantage of all the internet has to offer.”

As of August 2017, the Internet Essentials program has connected more than 4 million low-income Americans in 1 million households to the internet at home.