Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologized on Wednesday to the parents of the audience a Senate hearing on online child safety Those who say Instagram has caused their children to commit suicide or abuse.
“I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through,” Zuckerberg said after Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., pressed him to apologize directly to his parents. “It’s horrible. No one should have to go through what your family has to go through.”
The exchange came during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis,” where lawmakers grilled Zuckerberg and the CEOs of TikTok, Discord, X and Snap.
Parents held up photos of their children as senators questioned the CEOs. Many also chanted, “Stop online harm! Pass KOSA!”, citing the Children’s Online Safety Act, which creates a duty of care for social media companies. they wore blue ribbons that read
When Zuckerberg entered the hearing room on Wednesday, some of the parents hissed audibly. It has faced serious scrutiny and criticism over the years regarding child safety on Meta platforms.
Zuckerberg’s words to the parents in court were heard live, not on a microphone.
After apologizing, the CEO told parents that “that’s why we’re so invested and will continue to make industry-leading efforts to ensure that no one else has to go through what your family is going through.”
Ben Goggin and Laura Kolodny, CNBC contributed.