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.
‘Pahalgam incident deeply disturbing & tragic’: Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday termed the Pahalgam terror attack as disturbing & tragic and also condoled the victims and their families.
Guterres calls EAM Jaishankar, Pak PM Sharif; stresses pursuing justice in Pahalgam terror attack
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed the importance of pursuing justice in the Pahalgam terrorist attack while speaking with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shebaz Sharif, his Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday.
Myanmar's earthquake death toll rises to 3,770
The death toll from a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar has risen to 3,770 as of April 28, the state-owned daily The Mirror reported on Tuesday.
IndusInd Bank CEO Kathpalia quits due to derivatives accounting lapse
IndusInd Bank announced on Tuesday that its Managing Director and CEO Sumant Kathpalia has resigned from his post in connections with the derivatives accounting lapse that has eroded the private sector bank's net worth.
Air pollution exposure raises brain stroke risk in older adults: Study
The study showed that elderly males are disproportionately affected by ischemic stroke related to air pollution. Ischemic stroke is a condition resulting from reduced blood supply to specific areas of the brain due to blocked blood vessels. The primary contributor to this burden is PM2.5 from air pollution.
Sensex closes in green during volatile trade, Nifty ends at 24,336
Sensex opened on a positive note of almost 180 points at 80,396 and surged to an intra-day high of 80,661. However, the index quickly erased its gains, dipping into the negative zone and reaching a low of 80,122, which was 539 points down from its highest point of the day.
Russia-Ukraine war: Putin announces three-day ceasefire in May to mark Victory Day celebrations
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday announced a 72-hour ceasefire in its ongoing 'Special Military Operation' in Ukraine on account of the Victory Day celebrations, next month.
Indian stock market rebounds with strong gains, Sensex jumps 1,006 points
The Indian stock market bounced back strongly on Monday despite geo-political tensions, with the benchmark indices ending the day on a robust note.