Blood on their hands: Mark Zuckerberg apologises to parents at Senate hearing for endangering children

During a US Senate hearing, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg issued an apology to families concerning the impact of social media on children. Senators grilled leaders of major social media companies, emphasizing the urgent need for legislation and accusing the companies of having “blood on their hands” for neglecting child protection from increasing threats on their platforms. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham accused Zuckerberg and other companies of having a product “that’s killing people.” “Mr. Zuckerberg, you and the companies before us, I know you don’t mean it to be so, but you have blood on your hands,” said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, referring to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “You have a product that’s killing people.” Zuckerberg testified along with X CEO Linda Yaccarino, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew and Discord CEO Jason Citron. Senator Dick Durbin, the Judiciary Committee’s Democratic chairman, cited statistics from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children nonprofit group that showed skyrocketing growth in financial “sextortion,” in which a predator tricks a minor into sending explicit photos and videos. Prompted by Republican Senator Josh Hawley, Zuckerberg addressed families displaying images of their children allegedly harmed by social media. Zuckerberg, along with CEOs of X, Snap, TikTok, and Discord, testified as lawmakers aimed to address concerns about social media companies prioritizing profits over child safety. The committee played a video featuring children sharing experiences of bullying on social media platforms, with some young people reportedly taking their own lives after being extorted. Senator Hawley challenged Zuckerberg to apologize directly to the victims, leading to Zuckerberg expressing regret but stopping short of taking full responsibility for facilitating the abuse. Zuckerberg stood up, turned around, and addressed the families. “I’m sorry for everything you have all been through. 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,” he said. He pledged efforts to prevent similar incidents and addressed the families, apologizing for their suffering. The committee presented internal emails rejecting safety improvement hires, creating a tense exchange. X’s CEO Linda Yaccarino, who was also present at the hearing, expressed support for the STOP CSAM Act, seeking to hold tech companies accountable for child sexual abuse material. Criticism was directed at X, formerly Twitter, for loosening moderation policies. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew disclosed increased monthly users but faced questions about the app’s impact on children’s mental health. Under questioning by Senator Ted Cruz, Zuckerberg defended warning screens on Instagram, stating it can be useful to redirect users to resources rather than blocking content. Senator Amy Klobuchar criticized tech industry inaction, comparing it to decisive responses in other industries, questioning why similar action isn’t taken when children’s lives are at stake on social media platforms. (With inputs from agencies)