Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, apologized to the parents of online harm victims at a Senate hearing on Wednesday.
He was grilled by lawmakers about his company’s role in facilitating online exploitation, bullying, and addiction among young users.
Zuckerberg was joined by Evan Spiegel, the CEO of Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, at the hearing, which was intended to drum up support for federal legislation to safeguard children from the online world.
The hearing was prompted by a series of revelations from Frances Haugen, a former Meta employee who leaked thousands of internal documents to the Wall Street Journal and Congress, exposing how the company knew about the negative impacts of its platforms on teens, especially girls, but failed to act on them.
Mark Zuckerberg and Spiegel faced intense questioning from senators of both parties, who accused them of prioritizing profits over people, and of being irresponsible and unaccountable for the harms caused by their products.
The senators also pressed them on their plans to create new products for younger audiences, such as Meta’s Kids app and Snap’s Spotlight feature, which they argued would expose more children to online risks.
Zuckerberg defended his company’s efforts to protect children online, saying that Meta had invested billions of dollars in safety and security, and that it had taken steps to reduce harmful content, promote positive experiences, and support mental health resources.
He also said that Meta’s Kids app, which is currently paused, was designed to be a safer alternative to the main Facebook app, and that it would not show ads or collect personal data from children.
Spiegel echoed Zuckerberg’s remarks, saying that Snap had also invested heavily in safety and security, and that it had created a platform that was more private and ephemeral than other social media apps. He also said that Snap’s Spotlight feature, which allows users to share short videos and earn money, was not targeted at children, and that it had strict age and content guidelines.
However, the senators were not satisfied with the CEOs’ answers, and they demanded more transparency and accountability from them. They also urged them to support the proposed legislation, which would amend Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a law that shields online platforms from liability for user-generated content.
The legislation would require online platforms to implement age verification, parental consent, and content moderation for children, and to disclose how they collect and use data from children.
The most emotional moment of the hearing came when Mark Zuckerberg apologized directly to the families of online harm victims, who were present in the room. The families included the parents of Molly Russell, a 14-year-old British girl who died by suicide in 2017 after viewing self-harm and suicide content on Instagram; the parents of Carson Bride, a 16-year-old Oregon boy who died by suicide in 2020 after being bullied and blackmailed on Snapchat; and the parents of Anna Bright, a 14-year-old Alabama girl who died by suicide in 2017 after becoming addicted to a video game on Facebook.
Zuckerberg turned to the families and said,
“I’m sorry for everything you’ve all gone through. It’s terrible. No one should have to go through the things that your families have suffered.”
The hearing was the latest in a series of congressional inquiries into the power and influence of big tech companies including Tiktok, and X, which have faced growing scrutiny and criticism from lawmakers, regulators, and the public.
