May 15 (Reuters) – The CEOs of Meta, Alphabet, TikTok and Snap were invited back to Capitol Hill to answer questions from US lawmakers about children’s online safety, according to a US Senate aide.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley invited Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai, TikTok’s Shou Zi Chew and Snap’s Evan Spiegel, said Grassley’s spokesperson Hannah Akey.
Companies are facing growing criticism in the US over the safety of children and teenagers. If the executives accept the invitation to the hearing, it will allow members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to pressure the executives on the topics in a public setting.
Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, two members of the committee, are working to persuade their peers to support legislation that would require companies to take more responsibility for how their apps affect children and teens.
To date, the US Congress has not passed comprehensive legislation to regulate social media, which has led states across the country to pass their own laws. At least 20 states enacted laws last year on social media use and children, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, an organization that tracks state bills.
Snap, Meta, Google and TikTok separately face thousands of lawsuits in federal and state courts in California that accuse them of creating addictive platforms that harm children’s mental health. Meta and Google lost the first case that went to jury in March, resulting in a $6 million verdict. TikTok and Snap settled with the plaintiff before trial. More trials are planned for the middle of this year.
Continues after advertising
Spokespeople for the companies did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
