On January 31, 2024 Congress met with social media CEOs for a tech hearing. This hearing focused on child sexual exploitation on the internet. The committee unanimously approved the introduction of 5 bills focusing on kids’ online safety.
The CEOs of Discord, Meta, X/Twitter, Snap, and TikTok, were present at the hearing. Also present were many family members of those harmed through social media. Parents especially protested laws protecting tech companies from users’ lawsuits.
“Today the Senate Judiciary Committee will continue its work on an issue on the mind of most American families — How to keep our kids safe from sexual exploitation and harm in the internet age,” said Democratic Senator Dick Durban.
This hearing follows more than a year of examinations and investigations into online child sexual exploitation. It was a rare moment of unity between the Democrats and Republicans of Congress.
“Mr. Zuckerberg, why should your company not be sued for this? You hide behind a liability shield, you can’t be held accountable — Shouldn’t you be held accountable personally?” said Republican Senator Kennedy.
Kennedy pointed out Zuckerberg’s lack of a meaningful apology to any of the victims or their families. Family members in the audience raised pictures of the victims, finally prompting Zuckerberg to give a formal acknowledgement.
“I’m sorry for everything you have all been through. No one should go through the things that your families have suffered, and this is why we invest so much and we are going to continue doing industry wide efforts to make sure no one has to go through the things your families have had to suffer,” said Zuckerberg.
According to a study by JAMA Network Open, 15.6% of children in the US have encountered some form of online child sexual abuse.
“It’s definitely important to learn internet safety at a young age. The internet is very prevalent in our society, so we want to make sure that the information that we share online is safe and you can control,” said Counselor Kim Tran.
With experts claiming that social media companies are still doing little to protect youth on the internet, many parents are taking things into their own hands.
“If a child is a minor then there should be restrictions on what they share and have access to. For my child I wouldn’t be comfortable with her having free range of the internet until she’s in high school. Parents have a responsibility to monitor child’s internet usage and access,” said Tran.
