Mark Zuckerberg apologized to online harm victims' families during the U.S. Senate hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 31, on Capitol Hill.
The conference aims to pressure social media platforms to make more drastic efforts to protect users, especially young ones, against the spread of harmful content.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on January 31, 2024, in Washington, DC. The committee heard testimony from the heads of the largest tech firms on the dangers of child sexual exploitation on social media.
The hearing comes as U.S. officials accuse social media CEOs of failing to protect kids from exploitation and abuse on Facebook, WhatsApp, and other social media platforms.
Mark Zuckerberg, Other CEOs Apologize to Online Harm Victims' Families
According to ABC News' latest report, Sen. Josh Hawley called Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg during the hearing, asking him if he wanted to directly apologize for online harm to victims' families in front of him.
"They're here. You're on national television ... Would you like to apologize for what you've done to these good people?" said the U.S. senator.
After hearing these words, Zuckerberg decided to stand up and turn around to apologize to the parents; some of them were raising photos of their loved ones who died because of harmful online content.
"It's terrible. No one should have to go through the things that your families have suffered," said the CEO.
Aside from Mark Zuckerberg, Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel also apologized to the families who attended the hearing. This happened after Sen. Laphonza Butler told him that there were children who were able to access illegal drugs on Snapchat.
"I'm so sorry that we have not been able to prevent these tragedies," said Spiegel via The Guardian.
Read Also: AI-Generated Child Abuse Content Alarmingly Increases; NCMEC Says This Problem Will Only Get Worse
What is the plan to protect users?
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, speaks to victims and their family members as he testifies during the US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing "Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis" in Washington, DC, on January 31, 2024.
Mark Zuckerberg promised that they would continue investing in efforts that can help Facebook and other Meta-owned apps protect users from harmful online content.
He claimed that they are going to continue making "industry-leading efforts" to ensure that no one will have to go through the suffering that families at the hearing experienced moving forward.
Meanwhile, Spiegel said that didn't promise anything. But, he said that they are working very hard to block all search terms related to drugs from Snapchat.
"We proactively look for and detect drug-related content. We remove it from our platform, preserve the evidence, and then we refer it to law enforcement for action," he explained.
Related Article: Facebook Encryption Brings Fear to Sex Abuse Survivors-Here's What Some Victims Are Saying
