- Zuckerberg apologized to parents at a Senate hearing where lawmakers grilled tech CEOs about child safety issues like sexual images and drug deaths linked to their platforms.
- Lawmakers like Blumenthal and Hawley confronted Zuckerberg about Meta’s knowledge of Instagram’s mental health effects on teens and lack of action.
- Zuckerberg directly apologized to parents in the audience, saying no one should suffer like their families. He said Meta tries to prevent tragedies through safety efforts.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologized to parents at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on online child safety. The parents say Instagram contributed to their children’s suicides or exploitation.
Zuckerberg Faces Tough Questioning from Lawmakers
The CEOs of major tech companies like TikTok, Discord, X and Snap also testified at the hearing called “Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis.”
Lawmakers grilled Zuckerberg about issues like sexually explicit images of children on Instagram and drug deaths linked to Meta’s platforms. Some parents audibly hissed when Zuckerberg entered the room. He has faced scrutiny over child safety issues on Meta’s platforms.
Senators like Richard Blumenthal referred to emails showing Meta’s Nick Clegg said the company wasn’t doing enough on “well-being topics.” Josh Hawley pointed to reporting showing Meta knew of Instagram’s mental health effects on teens.
Zuckerberg Apologizes Directly to Parents
After pressing from Hawley, Zuckerberg directly apologized to parents in the audience. He said “It’s terrible. No one should have to go through the things that your families have suffered.”
His words weren’t into the microphone but were audible. Zuckerberg said Meta tries to prevent such tragedies through industry-leading safety efforts.
Some key moments included Sen. Ted Cruz grilling Zuckerberg about Instagram’s warning screens for child sexual abuse images. Sen. Thom Tillis said he didn’t think tech CEOs set out to create harm, but must keep working to reduce it.
