Senate Invites 4 Tech CEOs to Testify on Child Safety as 20 States Pass Social Media Laws
Updated
Updated · Reuters · May 15
Senate Invites 4 Tech CEOs to Testify on Child Safety as 20 States Pass Social Media Laws
12 articles · Updated · Reuters · May 15
Chuck Grassley invited the CEOs of Meta, Alphabet, TikTok and Snap to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee over children’s online safety, with the invitations sent earlier in May and announced Thursday.
The hearing push comes as lawmakers face mounting criticism over child and teen harms online and as Blackburn and Blumenthal seek support for legislation forcing platforms to take more responsibility for their apps’ effects.
The companies are already under legal pressure: Meta and Google lost a March jury trial that ended in a $6 million verdict, while TikTok and Snap settled before trial; more cases are scheduled this summer.
Meta was also hit with $375 million in civil penalties in New Mexico in March, and Congress’s failure to pass broad social media rules has left states to act, with at least 20 enacting child-focused laws last year.
For TikTok’s Shou Zi Chew, the appearance would be his first since ByteDance split the U.S. app from its global business to avoid a U.S. ban, potentially reopening questions about Chinese involvement and Trump’s role.
Now that TikTok's U.S. ownership is settled, will scrutiny shift from data privacy to its algorithm's impact on children?
As lawsuits compare social media to 'Big Tobacco,' will companies be forced to abandon addictive, profit-driven designs?