The Senate Judiciary Committee's grilling of four social media executives produced some notable moments. Here are some:
Zuckerberg and Spiegel personally apologize to the families: Meta CEO Zuckerberg stood to apologize to the families in the courtroom. “I'm sorry for everything you've been through,” he said. “No one should have to go through the things that their families have suffered and that is why we invested so much and we are going to continue to make efforts across the industry to make sure that no one has to go through the things that their families have had to suffer. “
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel also apologized to families whose children died after purchasing medication on Snapchat. “I am very sorry that we were not able to prevent these tragedies,” Spiegel said, before detailing some of the company's efforts to protect young users.
“The dark side” of social media products “is too big”: Social media companies have created products that have advantages, but also a dark side that is “too good to live with,” Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Wednesday as he grilled the CEOs of four of those companies. Until social media companies are sued for the damage they are causing, Graham warned there will be no change.
Hating social media companies is a rare unifying force on Capitol Hill: Wednesday's hearing again demonstrates the breadth of criticism of social media companies among lawmakers, a rare bipartisan topic on Capitol Hill. However, despite bipartisan appetite to go after tech platforms, Congress has yet to pass meaningful legislation to regulate social media companies. Most of the action has taken place in state legislatures and the courts, which have become battlegrounds for new policies, including minimum ages for social media use.
Read the full summary of key moments from the hearing here.
