Meta Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has apologised to families at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on kids' online safety in the US.
When Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) pressed Zuckerberg to apologise to families who attended the hearing, calling attention to kids who were targeted by predators online, Zuckerberg offered his apology.
"I'm sorry for everything you have all been through," he told the families in attendance at the hearing late on Wednesday.
"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," the Meta CEO added.
During the hearing, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel informed that 20 million teenagers use Snapchat in the US and that around 200,000 parents use its Family Center supervision controls.
He also shared that approximately 400,000 teen accounts have been linked to a parent’s account through Family Center, reports TechCrunch.
Snapchat's Family Center allows parents to see who their teens are friends with on the app and who they have been communicating with.
Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif) had asked the CEOs of Snap, Meta, TikTok, X and Discord to disclose how many minors were using their platforms.
Zuckerberg said he was unable to provide specific numbers, but said that the company runs “extensive ad campaigns” to raise awareness of its parental supervision tools.
X CEO Linda Yaccarino shared that less than 1 per cent of the platform’s 90 million US users are between the ages of 13 and 17.
"Being a 14-month-old company we have reprioritised child protection and safety measures," Yaccarino said at the hearing.
"We have just begun to talk about and discuss how we can enhance those with parental controls."
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said he was unable to share specifics, but that TikTok was "one of the first platforms" to give parents supervision controls.
Discord CEO Jason Citron said that Discord raises awareness of its parental controls through promotional videos and in-app prompts.
The US is mulling the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) that would require social platforms to take further steps to protect children online.
Mistake that benefits no one: World leaders react to Trump's 'reciprocal tariffs'
As US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on the so-called "reciprocal tariffs," the world reacted sharply against the decision, with some calling it a "mistake that benefits no one" while others called it a violation of Washington's obligations under the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Sensex, Nifty open lower as Trump tariffs trigger global sell-off
Indian equity indices opened lower on Thursday following a sharp sell-off in global markets after the US President Donald Trump announcement of reciprocal tariffs.
Indian pharmaceutical exports get reprieve from Trump’s reciprocal tariffs
Because of the importance of India’s pharmaceuticals to US healthcare, those exports will get a reprieve from President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, according to the White House.
India stands less impacted by Trump tariffs than global peers: Industry
As US President Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries, including India, industry experts said on Thursday that it appears India's export competitiveness to the US market stands far less impacted on a relative basis compared to global peers.
Sensex, Nifty end higher ahead of US reciprocal tariffs announcement
The Indian stock market bounced back on Wednesday, with both the Sensex and Nifty closing higher, just before the reciprocal tariffs deadline set by US President Donald Trump.
New AI algorithm to predict risk of cardiovascular events, heart-related death
A team of researchers in South Korea has developed a novel artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithm that uses electrocardiograph (ECG)2 data to predict the risk of cardiovascular events, and heart-related death.
Early April critical for investors’ sentiment amid key economic data: Report
Early April will be critical for market sentiment, with key economic data releases providing insights into global manufacturing, employment trends and economic activity, a report showed on Monday.
Bangladesh demolishes 1971 Liberation War mural
Days after covering the mural of the Liberation War Memorial Mancha in the Lalmonirhat district in Bangladesh with cloth on the country's Independence Day, it was demolished at the instruction of the local authorities.