On Jan. 31, 2024, Mark Zuckerberg apologized to families who have lost their children due to sexual exploitation or harassment over social media. The Meta head and other tech CEOs appeared for a hearing at the US Senate, testifying on online child safety. Senators from both parties questioned them for about four hours.
The legislation aims to hold tech companies accountable for material posted on their platforms. The hearing provided a rare opportunity for senators to interrogate some of the biggest tech companies in the world. During the hearing, lawmakers wanted clarification on what the social media platforms were doing to ensure online child safety (via BBC).
Upon being questioned if he had apologized to the families affected, Mark Zuckerberg offered his condolences for everything they had been through. He exclaimed, “No one should have to go through the things that your families have suffered…” The Meta boss stated that his company is actively working on improving online child safety (via USA Today).
Along with Mark Zuckerberg, CEOs of TikTok, Snap, Discord and X were also questioned
Besides Mark Zuckerberg, CEOs of top tech companies like TikTok, Snap, Discord, and X were also at the Senate hearing. Snap Inc. head also apologized to families whose kids were able to access illegal drugs on Snapchat. In 2023, close to 60 teenagers reportedly overdosed on drugs acquired with the help of the social media platform.
During the Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis hearing, Evan Spiegel exclaimed, “We work very hard to block all search terms related to drugs on our platform” (via The Guardian).
