Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee Lindsey Graham did not hold back during remarks to Meta [Facebook] CEO Mark Zuckerberg during a hearing Wednesday about the dangers big tech poses to children. Zuckerberg testified alongside the CEOs of SnapChat, Discord, Tiktok and X [Twitter].
Sen. @LindseyGrahamSC: "Mr. Zuckerberg, you and the companies before us, I know you don't mean it to be so, but you have blood on your hands. You have a product that's killing people." pic.twitter.com/QPAlUQwIqZ
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 31, 2024
In his testimony, Zuckerberg insisted his platforms, Meta [Facebook] and Instagram, don't contribute to mental health problems in children or teenagers.
Mark Zuckerberg: There’s no link between young people using social media and negative mental health problems. pic.twitter.com/1gTG9E5vl9
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 31, 2024
Big tech companies are facing heavy scrutiny from Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill. In a joint op-ed published in The Hill ahead of the hearing, Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal called on Congress to pass new regulations.
Today in the Senate Judiciary Committee, Zuckerberg — along with the CEOs of Snap, TikTok, X, and Discord — will have to answer for their platforms’ role in exploiting kids online.
But we have already heard empty promises from these companies that they will change, with little action to follow. In the weeks before this hearing, the companies have again rushed to announce new safety features—an all-too-familiar PR ploy before congressional hearings. In fact, their “new” safety features are recycled from past years.
But we have already heard empty promises from these companies that they will change, with little action to follow. In the weeks before this hearing, the companies have again rushed to announce new safety features—an all-too-familiar PR ploy before congressional hearings. In fact, their “new” safety features are recycled from past years.
Here’s the bottom line: Big Tech has proven incapable of appropriately governing themselves, and it’s time for Congress to step in.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member