Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) criticized Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on child exploitation online, saying “you have blood on your hands.” The hearing, titled “Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis,” took place on January 31, 2024.
Graham’s comment was in reference to the suicide of South Carolina state representative Brandon Guffey’s teenage son, Gavin, who fell victim to an Instagram sextortion scam. Guffey is suing Instagram over his son’s death.
“They threatened the young man that if you don’t give us money, we’re going to expose these photos. He gave them money, but it wasn’t enough. They kept threatening, and he killed himself,” Graham said.
Graham also called for the repeal of Section 230 of Title 47 of the United States Code, which protects social media companies from being held liable in court.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel testified before the Senate, answering tough questions about social media harms and accountability. The hearing, which also included the CEOs of TikTok and Twitter, was held by the Senate Commerce Committee to discuss the role of social media platforms in shaping online safety and privacy.
Zuckerberg Apologizes to Families Affected by Social Media Harms
During the hearing, Zuckerberg stood to apologize to the families present, saying he was sorry for “the things that your families have suffered.” He added, “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.”
Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley called on Zuckerberg, as a billionaire, to “compensate” the families whose children have been affected by his platforms. However, Zuckerberg did not directly address Hawley’s request.
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel also apologized to families whose children have died after they purchased drugs on Snapchat. “I’m so sorry that we have not been able to prevent these tragedies,” Spiegel said, before detailing some of the efforts the company takes to protect young users, including proactively monitoring for drug-related content and working to educate teens and families about the dangers of fentanyl.
Youth Advocates Skeptical of Zuckerberg’s Apology
Youth advocates in the room, including Arielle Geismar and Zamaan Qureshi, co-chair of the advocacy group Design It For Us, were skeptical of Zuckerberg’s apology. Geismar, who started using Instagram a decade ago, accused Zuckerberg of downplaying a link between social media and mental health harms, and dismissed his claims that Meta and other platforms are working hard to create safe spaces for users.
Qureshi called Zuckerberg’s apology “a pretty insane moment” and said it was “pretty emotional for a lot of people in the room.” He added, “It certainly feels like there’s a tide turning in trying to get something done here.”
TikTok CEO Grilled on Connection to China:
TikTok CEO Shou Chew faced tough questions from lawmakers about the platform’s connection to China and its content moderation practices. Chew was grilled several times on the company’s connection to China, and was criticized for not doing enough to protect users from harmful content.
In one instance, Chew was asked about a 1% stake in ByteDance’s main Chinese subsidiary, which was bought by the Chinese Communist Party’s China internet investment fund. Chew described the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing as a “massive protest,” but when pressed about his answer by Sen. Cotton, he said the event was also “a massacre.” Chew has previously testified to Congress that TikTok allows content about Tiananmen Square on its platform. TikTok does not operate within China, but its parent company, ByteDance, distributes a substantially similar app known as Douyin.
Chew was also questioned about the amount of access and influence the Chinese government has over TikTok’s content moderation practices. He denied that the Chinese government has any influence over the platform’s content moderation practices, but lawmakers remained skeptical.
Sen. Ted Cruz questioned Chew about the company’s connections to China and its communist party. Cruz also asked Chew to describe the Tiananmen Square massacre, which Chew described as a “massive protest.” When pressed about his answer by Sen. Cotton, Chew said the event was also “a massacre.”
Lawmakers Call for Legal Frameworks to Hold Social Media Companies Accountable
Multiple lawmakers highlighted the sharp contrast between the public response to social media harms and the recent incident involving a Boeing aircraft that saw a door plug blown off in mid-flight.
Sen. Lindsey Graham stressed the importance of having legal frameworks to hold social media companies accountable for the harms caused by their platforms. “Until social media companies are sued for the damage they are doing, Graham warned that there will be no change.” He added, “Open up the courthouse door. Until you do that, nothing will change. Until these people can be sued for the damage they’re doing, it is all talk.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar also brought up the Boeing incident and broad support to ground the fleet. “So why aren’t we taking the same decisive action,” she asked, “when we know that social media companies are causing harm to children and teens?”
Conclusion
The Senate hearing on social media harms and accountability highlighted the urgent need for legal frameworks to hold social media companies accountable for the harms caused by their platforms. While CEOs like Zuckerberg and Spiegel
