Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday was made to apologise to parents during his testimony in the US Senate, where concerns about the exploitation of children on social media took centre stage.
The CEOs of Meta, TikTok, and other social media companies testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, addressing the rising concerns among lawmakers and parents about the impact of social media on the lives of young people. The hearing commenced with recorded testimonies from children and parents who shared experiences of exploitation on social media. During the extensive event, parents, mourning the loss of children to suicide, silently displayed pictures of their departed kids.
I’m sorry for everything you have all been through: Zuckerberg
In an intense question-and-answer session with Mark Zuckerberg, Republican Missouri Senator Josh Hawley questioned the Meta CEO about whether he personally provided compensation to the victims and their families for the challenges they have faced.
“I don't think so,” Zuckerberg replied.
{{/usCountry}}“I don't think so,” Zuckerberg replied.
{{/usCountry}}“There's families of victims here,” Hawley said. “Would you like to apologise to them?”
Zuckerberg stood and directly addressed the parents in the gallery.
“I’m sorry for everything you have all been through. No one should go through the things that your families have suffered,” he said, adding that Meta continues to invest and work on “industry-wide efforts” to protect children.
‘Apology is a little bit too little, too late’: Victim's parent
One of the parents at the hearing, Neveen Radwan, shared the harrowing experience of her teenage daughter, who got sucked into a "black hole of dangerous content" on TikTok and Instagram. Initially seeking videos on healthy eating and exercise during the COVID lockdowns, her daughter developed anorexia within a few months, nearly losing her life.
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“Nothing that was said today was different than what we expected,” Radwan said. “It was a lot of promises and a lot of, quite honestly, a lot of talk without them really saying anything. The apology that he made, while it was appreciated, it was a little bit too little, too late, of course.”
(Inputs from wires)