Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed his sorrow and regret to the parents of children who were harmed by the use of his social media platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday.
The hearing, titled “Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis,” featured the testimony of five tech CEOs, including Zuckerberg, TikTok’s Shou Zi Chew, Discord’s Jason Citron, X’s Parag Agrawal, and Snap’s Evan Spiegel. The CEOs faced tough questions from senators about their platforms’ role in facilitating online harms to children, such as cyberbullying, sexual abuse, drug trafficking, and suicide.
Several parents attended the hearing, holding up photos of their deceased or abused children and wearing blue ribbons that read, "STOP Online Harms! Pass KOSA!,” referring to the Kids Online Safety Act, a proposed bill that would create a duty of care for social media companies to protect minors’ privacy and well-being online.
Zuckerberg’s apology came after Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., asked him to address the parents directly and acknowledge his responsibility for their children’s suffering.
“I’m sorry for everything you’ve all gone through,” Zuckerberg said, standing up from his seat. “It’s terrible. No one should have to go through the things that your families have suffered.”
Zuckerberg added that Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, invests heavily in industry-leading efforts to prevent and combat online exploitation of children, such as using artificial intelligence to detect and remove harmful content, working with law enforcement to report offenders, and providing tools and resources for parents and users to control their online experience.
However, some senators and parents were not satisfied with Zuckerberg’s apology and his claims of taking action. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told Zuckerberg that he had “blood on his hands” and that his platforms were “killing people.” Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., accused Meta of being “the premier sex trafficking site in this country,” to which Zuckerberg responded, “Senator, that’s ridiculous.”
The parents also expressed their anger and frustration with Zuckerberg and the other tech CEOs, saying that they failed to protect their children and ignored their pleas for help. Some of them shared their heartbreaking stories of how their children were lured, groomed, exploited, or driven to suicide by predators or peers on social media platforms.
The hearing highlighted the urgent need for more regulation and oversight of the tech industry, as well as more accountability and transparency from the tech companies themselves. Several senators urged the CEOs to support the Kids Online Safety Act and other similar bills that aim to create a safer and healthier online environment for children.
The tech CEOs, for their part, said that they were open to working with lawmakers and stakeholders to find solutions, but also defended their platforms’ positive impact and value for millions of users, especially during the pandemic. They also pointed out the challenges and trade-offs involved in balancing free expression, privacy, and safety online.
The hearing was the latest in a series of congressional inquiries into the tech industry’s practices and policies, especially regarding children’s online safety. The issue gained more attention and scrutiny after a series of reports by The Wall Street Journal revealed that Meta knew about the negative effects of Instagram on teens’ mental health, but downplayed or ignored them.
