"I'm Sorry For Everything You Have All Been Through": Mark Zuckerberg Apologises To Parents Of Social Media Victims (Image: Facebook/Mark Zuckerberg)

Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Meta, apologised to families whose children have died following sexual exploitation or harassment via social media. The Facebook founder apologized on Wednesday during a United States Senate hearing about the impact that social media has on children.

US senators have reportedly grilled leaders of social media firms during the hearing. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham severely criticised Mark Zuckerberg and accused tech leaders of having “blood on their hands” for failing to protect children from rising threats on Meta platforms. “Mr Zuckerberg, you and the companies before us, I know you don”t mean it to be so, but you have blood on your hands,” said Lindsey Graham, as quoted by Sky News.

Several families of social media victims were present at the US Senate hearing. During the hearing, parents said that their children were victims of predators facilitated by social media. Dozens of families also held up pictures of their children being harmed by social media platforms. “I”m sorry for everything you have all been through. No one should go through the things that your families have suffered,” said the Meta chief, as quoted by Reuters. Mark Zuckerberg also added that they are making significant investments and industry-wide efforts to prevent these problems.

Apart from Mark Zuckerberg, X CEO Linda Yaccarino, Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, and Discord CEO Jason Citron were also present during the hearing. Notably, the committee also played a video in which children revealed being victimized on social media platforms. At one point, lawmakers also reportedly compared the tech giants to cigarette makers. This significant hearing came amid growing fears over how social media affects youth.