Mark Zuckerberg in the Senate debate, apologizes to the families of victims for the damage of social networks / Reuters
During a stormy debate tonight (Thursday) in the US Senate on the damage of social networks on children, a dramatic moment occurred when the CEO of Meta (formerly Facebook), Mark Zuckerberg, turned to the parents whose loved ones were hurt and apologized to them. "I'm sorry for everything you've been through," he said Zuckerberg as parents posted photos of their children who died from sexual abuse or harassment on social media. "No one should have to go through what your families have endured.
That's why we are investing so much and will continue to cooperate to make sure that no one experiences what you experienced."
In addition to Zuckerberg, at the congressional hearing, the CEO of X (Twitter), Linda Iacrino, was also questioned for about 4 hours;
CEO of TikTok, Xu Zichu; CEO of Snap, Evan Spiegel;
and Discord CEO Jason Citron. The discussion opened with videos of people describing how they were sexually exploited on the social networks Facebook, Instagram and X. Senator Lindsey Graham received applause after telling Zuckerberg that he had "blood on his hands," adding: You have a product that kills people."
Mark Zuckerberg, addressed the parents whose loved ones were hurt and apologized to them./Reuters
Lawmakers wanted to know what CEOs are doing to protect children online, and while the hearing focused primarily on protecting children from online sexual exploitation, the questions were varied, and the senators took the opportunity to have five senior executives under oath. Throughout the hearing, the CEOs detailed the The child safety procedures they apply and have pledged to cooperate with legislators, parents, non-profit organizations and law enforcement to protect minors.
Meta stated that it invested $5 billion in safety and security in 2023 alone, while TikTok plans to invest $2 billion in 2024.
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Lawmakers wanted to know what CEOs are doing to protect children online. Zuckerberg at a Senate hearing/Reuters
However, Zuckerberg has repeatedly denied a link between Facebook and the mental health of teenagers, noting that "it's important to look at the science, and the majority doesn't support that."
Later, when speaking on the same subject, Zuckerberg said, "That doesn't mean that individual people don't have problems."
Linda Iaccarino, CEO of X (Twitter), said that the platform is not intended for minors.
Xu Zichu, the CEO of TikTok, was also heavily criticized - Republican lawmakers accused the company of alleged ties to the Chinese regime.
"Are you afraid you'll lose your job if you say something negative about the Chinese Communist Party?" Senator Tom Cotton asked Cho, who replied that the company strictly enforces its policy prohibiting children under the age of 13 from using the app.
Zuckerberg has repeatedly denied a link between Facebook and the mental health of teenagers/Reuters
The attack on the social network did not end here, and Republican Senator Ted Cruz accused the platform of promoting "anti-Israel propaganda" at the behest of the Chinese government against the background of the war with Hamas.
Xu Zichu, CEO of TikTok, at a Senate hearing/Reuters
Meta is being sued by dozens of countries, alleging that it intentionally designs features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms and fails to protect them from online abuse.
In fact, the debate reflects the increasing public and regulatory criticism of social networks regarding the protection of minors, and it seems that the chance of stricter legislation in this area will increase during this debate.
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