Mark Zuckerberg to defend Meta's impact on teens before senate committee

By Aisha Counts

Meta Platforms Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg, who is set to testify before the US Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, plans to push back on the idea that social media apps have a negative impact on young people’s mental health.
 

Zuckerberg will defend his company’s child safety practices and focus on the benefits of using Facebook and Instagram, the popular apps owned by Meta, according to his prepared remarks released ahead of the hearing at 10 a.m. Washington time. He’ll ask lawmakers to pursue legislation that implements a system for age verification and parental controls, and advocate for industry standards for age-appropriate content.

“Teens do amazing things on our services,” Zuckerberg is expected to say, according to prepared testimony shared with the committee. “They use our apps to feel more connected, informed and entertained, as well as to express themselves, create things, and explore their interests. Overall, teens tell us this is a positive part of their lives.”

Zuckerberg also will emphasize Meta’s investments in child safety, and willingness to work alongside parents and lawmakers. The company has about 40,000 people currently working on safety and security, and has spent more than $20 billion on those efforts since 2016, according to the remarks. 

“We want teens to have safe, age-appropriate experiences on our apps, and we want to help parents manage those experiences,” Zuckerberg’s statement reads. “That’s why in the last 8 years we’ve introduced more than 30 different tools, resources, and features to help parents and teens.”

The Senate hearing, which is focused on child safety online, also includes the leaders of ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok, X, Discord Inc. and Snap Inc. and will be available to watch here. 

According to his own prepared remarks, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel plans to focus on work his Snapchat app has done to combat potential extortion, distribution of child sexual abuse material and illicit drugs.