'I'm Sorry...': Mark Zuckerberg Apologises To Parents At Child Safety US Senate Hearing | WATCH

In an unscripted scene during a Senate hearing on Wednesday, Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg turned to address the parents of children exploited, bullied or driven to self-harm via social media and apologized to them. Zuckerberg along with chief executives of TikTok, X, Snap and Discord testified before the Senate about what they’re doing to protect kids from harm online.

“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,” he said.

The impromptu statement came as Republican Senator Josh Hawley aggressively criticized Zuckerberg during a contentious exchange and prodded him to apologise to them.

“Would you like now to apologize to the victims who have been harmed by your product?” Hawley asked, noting the hearing was being broadcast on live television.

Zuckerberg stood up, turned around, and addressed the families who held up pictures of their children who they said had been harmed by social media.

Then he returned to corporate mode, noting Meta’s continued investments in “industry-wide” efforts to protect children.

What Happened At The Hearing?

As the hearing kicked off, the committee played a video in which children spoke about being bullied on social media platforms.

Senators recounted stories of young people taking their own lives after being extorted for money after sharing photos with sexual predators.

Republican Senator Josh Hawley aggressively criticized Zuckerberg during a contentious exchange.

“Your product is killing people,” Hawley told Zuckerberg, whose firm owns social media platforms Facebook and Instagram.

(With Inputs from Reuters, AP)