Durbin compares Zuckerberg to tobacco execs after ‘outrageous’ statement

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Thursday that meth CEO Mark Zuckerberg told Congress in 1994 that he didn’t believe cigarettes were addictive. He likened it to executives from Japan’s largest tobacco company who testified that they did not.

Durbin said in an interview on CNN This Morning that Zuckerberg made “outrageous statements” during Wednesday’s hearing suggesting there was no causal link between social media use and negative mental health outcomes. Stated.

Asked to respond to the clip, Durbin said, “It reminds us of a moment in Congress’ history when tobacco company executives came before us and said that nicotine is not addictive and that their products are addictive.” “I took an oath not to kill anyone,” he said. Mr. Zuckerberg’s testimony.

“This is an outrageous statement by Mr. Zuckerberg, and someone with his resources and the advisors he has should never do something like that.” [have] I said all those things,” Durbin continued.

“Mental health is a complex issue, and the existing body of scientific research does not show a causal link between social media use and poor mental health among young people,” Durbin told Zuckerberg in his opening statement Wednesday. he replied.

The negative effects of social media on young people’s mental health were a major focus of Wednesday’s hearing, with senators taking steps to reduce the risk of online sexual exploitation and reduce the prevalence of harmful behavior. We posed questions to the CEOs of major social media companies to explain their policies. Content that promotes suicidal thoughts, self-harm, or eating disorders.

Parents and advocates filled the hearing room, holding up photos of victims and putting pressure on both companies and senators to hold companies accountable and take action to protect children.

Vivek Murthy, US Surgeon General, improved the mental health of young people We have previously stated that there may be a link between social media and negative mental health outcomes.

“We are in the midst of a national youth mental health crisis, and we are concerned that social media may be a key factor in that crisis,” Murthy said in his May 2023 advisory. This must be addressed urgently,” he said.