Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologized to families of children who experienced mental health issues or committed suicide after using Facebook and Instagram.
“I’m sorry for everything you have all been through,” Zuckerberg said during a Senate Judiciary Committee. “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.”
The apology was prompted by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo), who inquired whether Zuckerberg had previously apologized to the families of the affected children. He also proposed that Zuckerberg establish a personal compensation fund to assist the families with counseling.
“Internally you know your product is a disaster for teenagers,” Hawley said, garnering applause from the audience.
However, the Meta CEO did not agree to set up any compensation fund.
Aside from Zuckerberg, other CEOs of famous social media platforms, such as Snapchat, Discord, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter), were present at the hearing. Each CEO was asked whether their apps support online child safety bills aimed at reducing harm to young users.
