Mark Zuckerberg, the boss of Meta, apologised to parents whose children were harmed by using social media. The Meta CEO was at a meeting that was held by the US Senate Judiciary Committee. The hearing was attended by CEOs of major tech companies including Meta, TikTok, Snap, Discord, and X. It aimed to investigate the alarming rise in online child sexual exploitation and the harmful effects of social media use on the youth that uses these platforms. The CEOs faced intense scrutiny and questioning from senators. Parents of children who were harmed through social media were also in attendance, some holding signs sharing their children’s stories.
Zuckerberg apologised after Senator Josh Hawley asked him if he would like to apologise to the parents. He said, “I’m sorry for everything you’ve all gone through. It’s terrible. No one should have to go through the things that your families have suffered.”
At the meeting, there were also executives from Meta, TikTok, Discord, X, and Snap. They were asked questions by senators. Parents showed photos of their children and wore blue ribbons that said, “STOP Online Harms! Pass KOSA!”. KOSA stands for the Kids Online Safety Act. This act would require social media companies to take better care of children.
After apologising, Zuckerberg told the parents that he would continue working hard to ensure no one has to suffer like their families have.
One of the key topics discussed was the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a bill introduced in the United States Senate by Senators Richard Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn. KOSA aims to protect minors on social media platforms by setting out requirements for online platforms likely to be used by minors. These requirements include providing minors with options to protect their information, disable addictive product features, and opt out of algorithmic recommendations.
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