Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg rose from his seat on Wednesday, turned and apologized to the parents and families of children impacted by the negative effects of social media during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on child safety.
They were seated behind Zuckerberg, some holding signs of loved ones who had died by suicide, when he was pressed by Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley to apologize to “victims who have been harmed by your product.”
“I’m sorry for everything you have all been through,” Zuckerberg said. “No one should have to go through the things that your families have suffered.”
Leaders from Meta, X, formerly known as Twitter, TikTok and other social media companies faced tough questioning from committee members about how social media is influencing young people, as families and lawmakers continue looking for answers to a growing crisis.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or go online to 988lifeline.org.
Tap the link in our bio to watch the hearing. Yasmeen Alamiri, Dan Cooney, Timothy McPhillips and Michael Regan produced this post.
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