WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) – Meta Chief
Executive Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday apologized to families at
a U.S. Senate hearing about the impact that social media has on
children.
Under prodding from Republican Senator Josh Hawley,
Zuckerberg stood up and addressed families who held up pictures
of their children who they said had been harmed by social media.
As the hearing kicked off, the committee played a video in
which children spoke about being bullied on social media
platforms. Senators recounted stories of young people taking
their own lives after being extorted for money after sharing
photos with sexual predators.
“Would you like now to apologize to the victims who have
been harmed by your product?” Hawley asked, noting the hearing
was being broadcast on live television.
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.
Hawley aggressively criticized Zuckerberg during a
contentious exchange. “Your product is killing people,” Hawley
told Zuckerberg, whose firm owns social media platforms Facebook
and Instagram.
(Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
