While testifying in an ongoing session on online kid safety before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologized to families who complained that their children had been harmed by social media platforms.
After receiving a little shove from Republican Senator Josh Hawley, Meta CEO Zuckerberg stood up and addressed the families who were clutching images of their children who they claimed to have suffered because of social media.
“Would you like now to apologize to the victims who have been harmed by your product?” Hawley asked Zuckerberg, pointing out that the hearing was being carried live on television.
Zuckerberg, who heads Instagram and Facebook, turned towards the families and said, “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.”
During a heated confrontation, Hawley strongly criticized Zuckerberg, saying, “Your product is killing people.”
Tech titans confront tough questions about child safety
Senators from both parties questioned Zuckerberg and the heads of TikTok, Snap, X, and Discord for nearly four hours.
The senators also requested internet industry representatives to outline what efforts they are making to protect minors online.
Zuckerberg and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew willingly consented to appear, although the chiefs of Snap, X (formerly Twitter), and Discord had already refused and were served with government subpoenas.
The families, who alleged that their children had killed or self-harmed themselves, sat behind the tech executives.
The family expressed their emotions and criticized the CEOs for their irresponsibility, while at the same time appreciating the lawmakers when they asked tough questions.
Although the session was primarily focused on protecting children from online sexual exploitation, the senators’ questions varied greatly as they attempted to get responses from five influential CEOs under oath.
Chew denies sharing user data with China
When asked if TikTok shared US users’ data with the Chinese authorities, Chew denied it.
He said, “As a father of three young children myself I know the issues that we’re discussing today are horrific and the nightmare of every parent” and accepted that his own children do not use TikTok due to the rules imposed in Singapore.
However, as Meta’s CEO, Zuckerberg faced the most scrutiny as he appeared before Congress for the ninth time.
“Mr. Zuckerberg, you and the companies before us, I know you don’t mean it to be so, but you have blood on your hands. You have a product that’s killing people,” said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.
At one point, Republican Senator Ted Cruz shouted, “Mr. Zuckerberg, what the hell were you thinking?” when he showed the tech mogul an Instagram prompt warning users that they are likely to discover child sexual assault material, but asked if they wanted to “see the results anyway”.
Zuckerberg, commenting on the prompt, said the “basic science behind that” is “it’s often helpful to, rather than just blocking it, to help direct them towards something that could be helpful”. He then pledged to “personally look into it”.