Zuckerberg has apologized for the harm caused to teenagers on the social network

(CNN) — Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologized to families in the United States Congress during a controversial hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee this Wednesday, in which several CEOs of major social media companies testified about the dangers their products pose to young people.

Zuckerberg apologized for the harm caused to various families by the social media platform.

“I’m sorry for what they’ve gone through. No one should have to go through what their families have gone through and that’s why we’ve invested so much and we’ll continue to make efforts across the industry to make sure,” Meta’s CEO said during the hearing. That none of their families have to go through.”

In his response, Senator Josh Hawley called on Zuckerberg as a billionaire to “pay back” families whose children have been affected by his platform.

Mark Zuckerberg, center, addresses the public during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday in Washington. (Credit: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Youth activists pointed to Zuckerberg’s apology, saying it was easy to talk and calling on the company to “get out of the way” of national regulation.

Ariel Geismar, 22, started using Instagram a decade ago and says she was directly affected by eating disordered content on the app.

During an interview on the sidelines of the hearing, he accused Zuckerberg of downplaying the relationship between social media and mental health harm, and rejected his claim that Meta and other platforms are working hard to create safe spaces for users.

“It’s disgusting to sit there and lie,” Geismer told CNN. “It’s great for him to be able to say a few words and calm everything down, but it doesn’t bring any man back and it doesn’t undo the damage.”

“I want Big Tech to get out of the way of our elected representatives as they try to regulate this sector,” Geismer added.

Zaman Qureshi, co-president of the advocacy group Design It For Us, called Zuckerberg’s apology a “pretty crazy moment” during an interview with CNN.

“I think it was very emotional for a lot of people in the room. If you’re here, you can feel that tension right now. It definitely feels like there’s a tide coming in here to try to do something.”

The Facebook whistleblower who launched a years-long investigation into the impact of social media on teenagers said Mark Zuckerberg’s apology to parents was “mind blowing”.

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen during an incomplete live event at The Shed in New York City in 2022. (Credit: Craig Barrett/Getty Images)

Today’s hearing was unthinkable a few years ago, he said, when lawmakers were asking Zuckerberg basic questions about how his company makes money.

“Almost every hearing since then has been significantly more meaningful, and asked more insightful, more relevant questions. This went on for four hours, and there were about 20 minutes where I said to myself, ‘Do they really know what they’re asking? ??’ And that’s amazing.”

Asked about the likelihood of any legislation moving forward, Hughes said he would be surprised if “we go through another (election) cycle where we don’t see something.”

More about the downside of social networks from Meta: Last year, Facebook whistleblower Arturo Badger revealed to US lawmakers that Meta and other executives ignored his research, which found that more than 25% of young people between the ages of 13 and 15 reported receiving unwanted sexual advances. on Instagram.

Snap CEO also apologized to the family

Evan Spiegel, co-founder and CEO of Snap during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this Wednesday. (Credit: Nathan Howard/Reuters)

In response to a request from Lafonza Butler, a Democratic senator from California, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel apologized to families whose children died after buying drugs on Snapchat.

“I deeply regret that we could not have prevented these tragedies,” Spiegel said, before detailing some of the company’s efforts to protect young users, including proactively monitoring drug-related content and working to educate teens and families. is The dangers of fentanyl.

“I know there are good efforts. None of those things prevent kids from getting drugs on their platform,” Butler responded.