Mark Zuckerberg apologizes to the families of those who lost their lives because of Facebook, Instagram
Kathmandu. Meta's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Zuckerberg has apologized to parents who have lost their children or suffered serious consequences due to social media.
In the hearing held in the Senate, the upper house of the US Parliament, Zuckerberg apologized for the accidents caused by social networks such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram.
“I'm sorry for everything you've been through,” Zuckerberg told bereaved parents.
According to the BBC, Zuckerberg was asked to apologize to the victims' families sitting behind him during a question-and-answer session with Republican Senator Josh Hawley. Zuckerberg stood up, turned to the audience and apologized.
In the Senate, MPs from both parties had a discussion with the heads of Meta, TikTok, Snap, X and Discord for about four hours. In the discussion, the MPs asked questions about what these companies have done to protect children from online. The parliamentarians accused him of not doing enough checks to protect children from threats and similar activities from sexual abusers on social media.
“Mr. Zuckerberg, you have a product that is killing people,” MP Lindsey Graham told the CEO.
In response, Zuckerberg said, “We are working hard to help teenagers and their parents. We have tried to reduce the possible effects they face. Keeping people safe online has been a challenge ever since the internet began. Because criminals are adopting different new ways with time. That is why we are also revising the security strategy.”
Citing a study, he asserted that social media is not so dangerous for the young generation in terms of mental health.
During the hearing, behind the heads of the five companies sat the families of children who 'harmed themselves or committed suicide by watching content posted on social media'. They expressed their feelings in various ways throughout the hearing. When the head of the company operating the social network arrived, they made a loud noise and the MPs clapped when they asked tough questions.
The hearing focused specifically on how to protect children from online sexual exploitation. However, the parliamentarians took advantage of the opportunity that the powerful leaders of five networks were present for the hearing and asked various questions.
Meta owns famous social networks like Instagram and Facebook. According to Meta, these platforms block children by sending them direct messages from strangers. By default, people under the age of 16 can add or send messages to a group chat. Apart from that, META said that it takes strict caution against children entering posts that discuss suicide or self-harm.
Last updated: Jan 18, 2080 16:28
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