Zuckerberg apologizes to families hurt by social media — RT World News

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has apologized to victims and relatives of people harmed by his social media sites, including teenagers who were sexually assaulted online as well as those who committed suicide after digital bullying.

During a contentious Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, the Facebook founder was grilled about the negative effects of his products on children and teens, with families and victims sharing concerns about a wide range of issues, including sexual predators, mental health and addictive nature. From social media.

After their testimony, Republican Senator Josh Hawley asked the CEO if he had personally compensated any of the families for what they suffered, to which Zuckerberg responded. “i don't think so.”

When asked if he would like to apologize to the victims, Zuckerberg took the opportunity and turned to address the parents and teens in attendance.

“I'm sorry for everything you went through. No one should have to go through the things your families went through. He added that his company will continue to invest in it “Industry-wide efforts” To protect young people. He pointed to Meta's parental controls, which can limit the content kids watch online.

Lawmakers from both parties took turns pressing Zuckerberg, with the Democratic Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Dick Durbin, announcing in his opening remarks that the CEO of Meta and other social networking sites “Responsible for many of the risks our children face online.”

Hawley also went on to accuse Zuckerberg's sites of “Killing people” In a letter published on Thursday, the CEO urged this “Immediately establish a fund funded from your personal wealth for the purpose of compensating those who have fallen victim to your platforms.”

Meta platforms – which include Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – have been repeatedly criticized for failing to protect minors, with legal documents obtained by The Guardian, TechCrunch and other outlets indicating that about 100,000 underage users face sexual harassment on the former two websites. Daily basis.

The legal filings stem from a lawsuit filed by the state of New Mexico against Meta, which accused the company of allowing Facebook and Instagram to become… “A market for predators looking for children to prey on.” Some of the material exploits children “Ten times more popular on Facebook and Instagram than on Pornhub and OnlyFans.” The lawsuit claimed that.

Despite Mita's insistence that it was spent “More than a decade of work on these issues.” Recently released documents highlight instances where the company appears to have intentionally limited child safety features even as it tries to attract more young users.