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Should Mark Zuckerberg Compensate Families Harmed By Social Media?

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Here’s The Scoop

In a recent hearing on social media and child exploitation, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) confronted Mark Zuckerberg, demanding that the Meta CEO address the families who have been harmed by his platform and others like it.

Zuckerberg faced tough questions from Hawley and others about child safety on social media platforms and what measures should have been taken in the past and could be implemented in the future to ensure the safety of younger users.

Hawley highlighted the fact that families who felt victimized by social media companies often had no recourse, as these companies were protected from lawsuits due to their designation as platforms for public speech, rather than publishers with a greater responsibility to police content.

Hawley asked Zuckerberg if he thought these families deserved compensation for the harm caused by his platform, such as help with counseling services. Zuckerberg insisted that their job was to “build tools to help keep people safe.”

However, Hawley continued to press the issue, eventually prompting Zuckerberg to apologize to the families who had been harmed by his product.

“I’m sorry for everything you’ve all gone through,” he said.

Despite the apology, some parents, like Mary Rodee, were not impressed. Rodee’s 15-year-old son died by suicide after being extorted for money via explicit photos on Facebook Messenger.

She stated that if Zuckerberg truly wanted to apologize, he should have responded to her letters or contacts from attorneys in the three years since her son’s death.