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Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on online child safety on Capitol Hill. At the US Senate on impact that social media has on children hearing Zuckerberg apologised to families.
Republican Senator Josh Hawley prodded Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, following which the founder of Facebook stood up and addressed families who held up pictures of their children who they said had been harmed by social media, reports Reuters.
"Would you like now to apologize to the victims who have been harmed by your product?" Hawley asked, noting the hearing was being broadcast on live television.
Mark Zuckerberg stood up, turned around, and addressed the families.
"I'm sorry for everything you have all been through. No one should go through the things that your families have suffered and this is why we invest so much and we are going to continue doing industry-wide efforts to make sure no one has to go through the things your families have had to suffer," he said.
On Wednesday, the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, X and other social media companies went before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify at a time when lawmakers and parents are growing
The executives touted existing safety tools on their platforms and the work they’ve done with nonprofits and law enforcement to protect minors.
Snapchat broke ranks ahead of the hearing and is backing a federal bill that would create a legal liability for apps and social platforms that recommend harmful content to minors. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel reiterated the company’s support on Wednesday and asked the industry to back the bill.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said the company is vigilant about enforcing its policy barring children under 13 from using the app. CEO Linda Yaccarino said X, formerly Twitter, doesn’t cater to children.
Republican and Democratic senators came together in a rare show of agreement throughout the hearing, though it’s not yet clear if this will be enough to pass legislation such as the Kids Online Safety Act, proposed in 2022.
Meta is being sued by dozens of states that say it deliberately designs features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms.
(With agency inputs)
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