In a tense session held by the US Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday, CEOs of major social media platforms were bombarded with questions regarding child safety online.
Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin addressed the different responses of social media CEOs to the committee’s child safety hearing.
According to Durbin, “Zuckerberg and Chew from Meta and TikTok opted to testify voluntarily, while Discord, Snapchat, and Pinterest CEOs were compelled by subpoenas.”
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Snapchat’s Evan Spiegel, and TikTok’s Shou Zi Chew faced a riled up panel of US congressmen addressing concerns raised by the senators and revealing a clash of perspectives on the issue.
The US congress documents that the hearing began with recorded testimony from kids and parents who said they or their children were exploited on social media.
Throughout the hearing, parents who lost children to suicide silently held up pictures of their dead kids.
The senators accused the social media giants of prioritizing engagement and profits over the safety of children. “They’re responsible for many of the dangers our children face online,’ Durbin said in opening remarks.
‘Their design choices, their failures to adequately invest in trust and safety, their constant pursuit of engagement and profit over basic safety have all put our kids and grandkids at risk.”
Along with social media algorithms amplifying harmful content, insufficient content moderation, and the ease of access for online predators as major areas of concern, the CEOs were questioned about how their platforms collect and utilize user data, potentially exposing children to risks.
Some lawmakers called for more robust legislation and increased liability for platforms. They argued that current laws fall short in holding social media platforms accountable for the harm they can cause, especially to younger users.
In defense of their platforms, CEOs highlighted existing safety measures, including substantial investments in content moderation, age verification, and collaborations with law enforcement.
They argued that the platforms take child safety seriously and have made significant improvements over time.
Evan Spiegel supported the idea of legislation that would create legal liability for harmful content recommendations, signaling a willingness to cooperate with regulatory measures.
Emphasizing the importance of parental controls and education, the CEOs suggested that parents need to play a more active role in monitoring their children’s online activities.
Asked if he had apologised to parents who were grieving deceased children, Zuckerberg stood, turned away from his microphone and the senators, and directly addressed the parents in the gallery.
“I’m sorry for everything you have all been through. No one should go through the things that your families have suffered,’ he said, adding that Meta continues to invest and work on ‘industrywide efforts’ to protect children.
