Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg turned his back on senators at Wednesday’s hearing, pleading with parents of children who have died or been seriously harmed by social media abuse. In response, he stood up and apologized.
In a notable moment after a controversial exchange with Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), the meth chief consulted dozens of parents and activists. Mr. Zuckerberg was not at the microphone, but he could be heard saying “I’m sorry” in the hearing room and expressing regret for the harm done to the children.
“What your families have suffered is why we are investing so much, and we are making an industry-wide effort to ensure that no one has to go through what your families have had to go through. We will continue to do so,” he added. a spokesperson told The Hill.
Hawley directly asked Zuckerberg if he had apologized to the victims and criticized him for not using his vast wealth to set up a compensation fund. Advocates for parents at the hearing, many of whom held signs from children who said they had been harmed by social media companies, said they had not received an apology.
Mr. Zuckerberg defended Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, saying it was taking “industry-leading” efforts to reduce risk.
Hawley called the defense “nonsense” and told Zuckerberg that “products are killing people.”
Mary Roddy, a parent advocate in the audience, said Zuckerberg’s comments at the hearing were “really weak.”
“If he really wants to apologize to me, please respond to all the letters and communications I’ve received from his attorney and anyone else since my child died three years ago,” Roddy told The Hill. .
Roddy said her son, Riley Basford, was the victim of sexual exploitation on Facebook Messenger and died by suicide when he was 15.
She said she was sent material about child sexual abuse and when she responded with a photo of herself, she was extorted for $3,500.
“In that very short period of time, he panicked. He was an impulsive 15-year-old. He felt completely trapped and committed suicide,” Roddy said.
“I literally broke up with him at 10:15 a.m. and at 3 p.m. I’m standing in the exact same spot looking at the body bag with my child,” she said.
The Hill has reached out to a Meta spokesperson for comment on Roddy’s claims.
In addition to Zuckerberg, the CEOs of TikTok, Discord, Snapchat and X, formerly known as Twitter, also testified.
During the hearing, senators pressed the CEOs about the harms associated with the proliferation of online child sexual abuse content and other harmful content, including posts promoting self-harm, suicide, and eating disorders.
Updated at 1:19 p.m. ET
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