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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologizes to parents of victims of online exploitation in heated Senate hearing
Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Meta, apologized to families who said their children were harmed by social media use during a heated hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
The apology came as Zuckerberg, whose firm owns social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, answered questions at a U.S. Senate Judiciary hearing on the impact of social media on children. The hearing looked at child sexual exploitation online, and also included CEOs from Discord, Snap, X and TikTok, and featured a video of children speaking about their experiences with online bullying, abuse and more.
Committee chair Dick Durbin bashed the platforms for failing to protect children, and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told Zuckerberg that he had “blood on his hands” from a “product that’s killing people.” Families also attended the hearing, some holding signs sharing their childrens’ stories.
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When Zuckerberg was asked by Republican senator Josh Hawley if he would like to apologize to victims harmed by his product, the Meta CEO addressed families in attendance directly.
“I’m sorry for everything you have all been through,” Zuckerberg said. “No one should go through the things that your families have suffered and this is why we invest so much and we are going to continue doing industry-wide efforts to make sure no one has to go through the things your families have had to suffer.”
Zuckerberg and other social media CEOs touted their child safety procedures online. Meta has previously said that it has spent $5 billion on safety and security in 2023.
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The CEOs also said they would work with lawmakers, parents, nonprofits and law enforcement to protect minors. Zuckerberg declined to commit to Hawley’s suggestion that he set up a victim’s compensation fund.
A growing number of lawmakers are urging measures to curb the spread of child sexual abuse images online and to hold technology platforms better accountable to safeguard children. The Senate hearing is part of an effort to pass legislation after years of regulatory inaction by Congress.
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NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.