This is how Mark Zuckerberg apologized to the families during the hearing 0:45

(CNN) --

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, apologized to families present in the United States Congress during a controversial hearing this Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, in which several CEOs of large social media companies testified. about the risks that their products pose to young people.

Zuckerberg apologized for the harm that social media platforms have caused to various families.

"I'm sorry for everything they've been through. No one should have to go through the things their families have gone through and that's why we invested so much and we're going to continue to make efforts across the industry to make sure no one has to go through the things their families have gone through." have to suffer," said the CEO of Meta during the hearing.

  • Executives from Meta, TikTok and other large technology companies appear in the US Senate to defend the impact of social networks on adolescents

In his response, Senator Josh Hawley called on Zuckerberg, as a billionaire, to "compensate" families whose children have been affected by his platforms.

Mark Zuckerberg, center, addresses the public during Wednesday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington.

(Credit: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Youth activists balked at Zuckerberg's apology, saying talk is easy and calling on the company to "get out of the way" of national regulation.

advertising

Arielle Geismar, 22, started using Instagram a decade ago and says she was directly affected by eating disorder content on the app.

During an interview on the sidelines of the hearing, he accused Zuckerberg of downplaying the relationship between social media and mental health harms, and rejected his claims that Meta and other platforms are working hard to create safe spaces for users. .

"It's disgusting to sit there and be lied to," Geismar told CNN.

"It's very, very nice for him to be able to say a few words and calm everything down, but it doesn't bring any humans back and it doesn't take away the damage."

"I want Big Tech to get out of the way of our elected representatives as they try to regulate this sector," Geismar added.

Zamaan Qureshi, co-president of advocacy group Design It For Us, called Zuckerberg's apology a "pretty crazy moment" during an interview with CNN.

"I think it was very emotional for a lot of people in the room. If you're here, you can feel that tension right now. It certainly feels like there's a tide turning to try to get something done here."

The Facebook whistleblower who began years of scrutiny into social media's impact on teenagers said Mark Zuckerberg's apology to parents was "mind-blowing."

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen in 2022 during an Unfinished Live event at The Shed in New York City.

(Credit: Craig Barritt/Getty Images)

Today's hearing would have been inconceivable just a few years ago, he said, when lawmakers were asking Zuckerberg basic questions about how his company makes money.

"Almost every hearing since then has been substantially more meaningful, and has asked more insightful, more relevant questions. This one lasted four hours, and there was about 20 minutes where I said to myself, 'Do they really know what they're asking?' And that's amazing."

Asked about the possibility of any legislation moving forward, Haugen said he would be surprised if "we go through another [election] cycle where we don't see something."

More on Meta's social media harms

: Last year, Facebook whistleblower Arturo Béjar went public with U.S. lawmakers that Meta and other executives had ignored his investigation, which found that, among other things, more 25% of young people between 13 and 15 years old had reported receiving unwanted sexual advances on Instagram.

Snap CEO also apologizes to families

Evan Spiegel, co-founder and CEO of Snap during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this Wednesday.

(Credit: Nathan Howard/Reuters)

In response to the request of Laphonza Butler, Democratic senator from California, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel apologized to the families whose children died after buying drugs on Snapchat.

"I am very sorry that we have not been able to prevent these tragedies," Spiegel said, before detailing some of the efforts the company takes to protect young users, including proactively monitoring drug-related content and working to educate to teens and families about the dangers of fentanyl.

"I know there are good efforts. None of those things prevent children from accessing drugs on their platform," Butler responded.

Mark ZuckerbergMetaSocial networks