Most people dream of being the CEO of some innovative, billion-dollar company. Financial security and the admiration of the world equates to success for many. However, the private jet of success often comes with heavy-weighted baggage in the form of liability, accountability, and social responsibility. Just one look at Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who often wears his cares in his facial expressions, proves the old adage, heavy is the head that wears the crown.
A Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Wednesday (Jan. 31) titled “Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis,” a push for legislation, such as the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the SHIELD Act, to mitigate the growing issue of children susceptible to cyber abuse and detrimental mental effects.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., initiated the intense meeting calling out big tech companies, such as TikTok, X (formerly known as Twitter), and Meta companies, Facebook and Instagram.
Lawmakers supporting the bipartisan initiative condemned social media companies for their part in enabling “predators” with “powerful new tools to exploit” underage users of technology. Those in attendance audibly gasped and murmured when Zuckerberg entered the hearing.
“I know you don’t mean it to be so, but you have blood on your hands,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., taking the opportunity to address the CEO. “You have a product that’s killing people.”
RELATED READ: Congress Introduces DEFIANCE Act Addressing Deepfake Content
In addition to Zuckerberg, Discord CEO Jason Citron, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel, TikTok CEO Shou Chew, and X CEO Linda Yaccarino were in attendance. Zuckerberg and Chew appeared at the hearing voluntarily, while Citron, Spiegel, and Yaccarino were subpoenaed.
The CEOs defended their companies in opening statements, referencing their cooperation with law enforcement and lawmakers, while utilizing parental controls and privacy settings to safeguard children from harmful content and exploitation.
“X is not a platform of choice for children and teens, we do not have a line of business dedicated to children,” said Yaccarino, who became CEO of the platform as recent as 2023.
Chew shared in Yaccarino’s sentiment, “Our livestreaming product is not for anyone below the age of 18.”
Despite the several tools created to block their usage, children are still finding their way onto these social media sites. Some of the tech executives acknowledged the loopholes to child access and attributed them to lack of parental management.
THROW IT BACK ARTICLE: Facebook Inc. Changes Name To “Meta” In Effort To Rebrand As Virtual Reality Based “Metaverse”
A passionate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-TX., stumped the CEOs, presenting large visual aids, one being Instagram’s child sexual abuse warning in which the user is cautioned of potential sexual imagery or content and given two options to “Get Resources” or “See Results Anyway.” Cruz went in further, making allegations of TikTok providing more safety protocols for China users than U.S. users.
At one point, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., challenged Zuckerberg to apologize to those victimized by his companies. Zuckerberg turned around to address the families of deceased loved ones in the room.
“I’m sorry,” Zuckerberg said to a stone-faced audience. “No one should have to go through the things that your families have suffered and this is why we invest so much and we’re going to continue to do industry-leading efforts to make sure that no one has to go through the types of things your families have had to suffer.”
