- Top social media CEOs face intense questioning on Capitol Hill over failure to protect children from exploitation and abuse on their platforms, with Senator Graham accusing them of having “blood on their hands.”
- CEOs defend their companies, highlighting actions taken to address child safety issues and emphasize tools developed to protect children and assist parents.
- Snap’s CEO testifies for the first time, expressing sorrow for harm caused and supporting The Kids Online Safety Act, while lawmakers propose over 100 bills and call for stricter regulations.
Additional Coverage:
The CEOs of the top social media companies in the United States faced intense questioning on Capitol Hill regarding child safety. Lawmakers accused the tech leaders of failing to protect children from exploitation and abuse on their platforms. Senator Lindsey Graham criticized Mark Zuckerberg and the companies for having “blood on their hands.” Senator Josh Hawley called on Zuckerberg to apologize directly to the families impacted by these issues. The hearing also included testimonies from executives of X, TikTok, Snap, and Discord. Child exploitation online has become a growing problem in the U.S., with daily reports of abuse material increasing tenfold in the past decade. Chairman Dick Durbin referred to it as a crisis and held the CEOs responsible for the dangers children face online.
The CEOs defended their companies by highlighting the actions they’ve taken to address these problems. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, recently announced plans to hide inappropriate content for teenagers. Zuckerberg emphasized the 30 tools they’ve developed to protect children and assist parents in navigating the online world. While offering condolences to the affected families, Zuckerberg pushed back on the link between social media and mental health. Other senators raised concerns about encouraging more usage among children and the companies’ responsibility in promoting online safety.
Snap’s CEO Evan Spiegel testified for the first time before Congress, responding to allegations that Snapchat negatively impacts children’s mental and physical health. Snapchat is also facing a class-action lawsuit from parents who claim their child died from fentanyl poisoning after purchasing pills on the platform. Spiegel expressed deep sorrow for the harm caused by the misuse of his service and voiced support for The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which aims to prevent harmful ads and posts from appearing on children’s accounts.
Most of the CEOs did not commit to supporting specific legislation proposed by lawmakers. State legislators have introduced over 100 bills to regulate children’s use of social media, as federal efforts have largely failed. Senator Graham called for stricter regulations on these companies, signaling that Republicans are prepared to take action. While there was no consensus on backing the proposed bills, some CEOs expressed support for certain measures and offered their own legislative proposals.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse requested that each CEO provide written proposals for reforming Section 230, a law that grants legal immunity to tech and social media companies.