Senators called on the US Congress to quickly pass legislation to protect children from online sexual abuse

The heads of social networks Meta, TikTok, X and others testified before the US Senate Judiciary Committee. Parents are increasingly concerned about the impact of social media on the lives of young people.

At the hearing, senators called on Congress to quickly pass legislation to protect children from all sorts of threats they face on social networks – bullying, sexual violence, unrealistic and contrived beauty stereotypes. One legislator accused the companies of having “blood on their hands.”

It’s the latest effort by U.S. lawmakers to address concerns from parents and mental health experts that social media companies are putting profits ahead of safeguards that could ensure the platforms are safe for minors. writes euronews.

The hours-long hearing began with the recording of testimonies from children and parents who described how they or their children had been subjected to violence and pressure on social networks. Some parents silently held photographs of their children in their hands – they died by suicide. Mark Zuckerberg apologized to parents of children who were victims of harassment on social networks after the senator’s words.

During a heated question-and-answer session with Mark Zuckerberg, Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley asked Meta’s CEO whether he had personally compensated any of the victims and their families for what they endured. “I don’t think so,” Zuckerberg responded. “The families of the victims are here,” Hawley said. “Would you like to apologize to them?” In response, Zuckerberg said:

“I’m sorry for everything you had to go through. No one should have to go through what your families went through, and that’s why we’re investing so much and we’re going to continue to make industry-wide efforts to make sure no one has to go through what your families have had to go through.”

Shu Chu, TikTok’s CEO, said the company is vigilant in enforcing its policy prohibiting children under 13 from using the app. And CEO Linda Yaccarino said X, formerly Twitter, is not aimed at children.

Snap Inc CEO Evan Spiegel expressed his condolences to parents whose children were able to access illegal drugs on Snapchat. In late 2023, the parents of more than 60 teenagers filed a lawsuit against Snap for allegedly facilitating their children’s purchase of drugs used in overdoses.

“I am very sorry that we could not prevent these tragedies. We work hard to block all drug-related searches on our platform,” Spiegel said.

Still, children’s health and mental health advocates say social media companies are failing to protect minors.

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