In the new documentary “Your Attention Please,” experts dissect the intentional business models that tech giants and social media companies use to profit off our attention. The documentary, which premiered in the spring at South by Southwest, is now streaming on Apple TV and Prime Video, among other places.
During a 2024 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing seen in the film, Missouri U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley questioned Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg about data from an internal study showing social media users reported negative effects from interacting with the apps.
“For years, you've been coming in public and testifying under oath that there's absolutely no link, your product is wonderful, the science is nascent, full speed ahead. While internally, you know full well your product is a disaster for teenagers,” Hawley said during the hearing.
Zuckerberg denied a direct link between negative mental health and social media.
Kristin Bride, an Oregon mother, sat just a few rows behind Zuckerberg in the televised hearing.
Bride’s 16-year-old son died by suicide in 2023. The teenager was a victim of cyberbullying on social media.
“Your Attention Please” follows some of Bride’s trips to Washington, D.C. where she continues to advocate for lawmakers to pass the Kids Online Safety Act. The bipartisan bill seeks to regulate social media companies known to be harmful, particularly to young kids.
After pressure from Hawley to immediately apologize during the 2024 hearing, Zuckerberg stood and addressed the audience filled with survivors and others harmed in connection with social media use.
“It was uncomfortable because you could tell that . . . Mark Zuckerberg did not want to turn around and face us, and his apology was very empty,” Bride told KCUR’s Up To Date.
Sara Robin, the director of “Your Attention Please,” said the conversation is bigger than just the harms done online. The documentary showcases innovative ways young people are taking action to change technology, and rethink how they center digital devices.
“There (are) great solutions out there . . . that could be implemented tomorrow if we wanted to, and that would save a lot of lives,” Robin said.
- Sara Robin, director, “Your Attention Please”
- Kristin Bride, parent featured in “Your Attention Please”
