Senate Hearing Sees Social Media CEOs Questioned about Child Safety Online

CEOs of major social media platforms like X, TikTok and Meta gather on Capitol Hill for Senate Judiciary Committee on the impacts of social media on American youth. Credit: Lisa Fotios via Pexels

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The CEOs of X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, Meta and more gathered at Capitol Hill on Jan. 31 to face the Senate Judiciary Committee for a social media safety hearing. 

Focusing on the impacts that social media platforms have had on American youth over the years, the hearings were aimed at tackling the lack of protection mechanisms provided by these sites to prevent child sexual exploitation, child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking. 

The committee notably called for Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Linda Yaccarino (X) and Shou Zi Chew (TikTok) to answer questions on multiple topics, including what the purpose of these companies and platforms is as a sea of concerned and angry audience members watched.

As noted by the Senate Judiciary Committee, “[Chair Dick] Durbin and the Committee have extensively examined and investigated the plague of online child sexual exploitation, through hearings, legislation, and oversight efforts. This hearing will build on that work and highlight the need for Congress to act on the bipartisan bills reported by the committee.”

The topic of child and teen suicides resulting from online sexual exposure was a key area of discussion. Many of the parents in the audience have had their children victimized on social media, as noted by Ranking Member and Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham in the opening statements, as well as by other committee members throughout the hearing. 

Graham went so far as to say that the CEOs have “blood on their hands.” As noted by Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota in her opening remarks at the hearing, there have been 20 suicides from kids just in the last year due to online revenge porn. Additionally, Klobuchar mentioned how, “Between 2012 and 2022, cyber tip line reports of online child sexual exploitation increased from 415,000 to more than 32 million.”

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said to the families at the hearing after Republican Arkansas Sen. Josh Hawley pressed him to do so, "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.”

One of the most talked-about instances of the hearings involved Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton questioning Shou Zi Chew on his origins, specifically whether or not he was Chinese and a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Chew repeatedly stated that he is not Chinese, but Singaporean and not associated with the CCP.
The Senate is not the only party trying to protect the youth. The Ohio State Legislature has already enacted the Parental Notification by Social Media Operators Act, which went into effect on Jan. 15. As noted by Ohio Protects and Ohio Attorney General David Yost, the act is geared towards giving “parents and legal guardians oversight of their children’s online presence on certain websites, services or products by requiring parental consent for use and access.”