WHAT HE SAID WHAT THE EVIDENCE PROVES
“No one should have to go through the things that your families have suffered and this is why we invest so much and are going to continue doing industry leading efforts to make sure that no one has to go through the types of things that your families have had to suffer,” Zuckerberg said directly to families who lost a child to Big Tech’s products in his now-infamous apology.
– Source: US Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on "Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis" (2024) Despite Zuckerberg’s claims during the 2024 US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Meta’s post-hearing investment in teen safety measures (i.e. Teen Accounts) are a PR stunt. A report conducted a comprehensive study of teen accounts, testing 47 of Instagram’s 53 listed safety features, finding that:
64% (30 tools) were rated “red” — either no longer available or ineffective.
19% (9 tools) reduced harm but had major limitations.
17% (8 tools) worked as advertised, with no notable limitations.
The results make clear that despite public promises, the majority of Instagram’s teen safety features fail to protect young users.
– Source: Teen Accounts, Broken Promises: How Instagram is Failing to Protect Minors (Authored by Fairplay, Arturo Bejar, Cybersecurity for Democracy, Molly Rose Foundation, ParentsSOS, and The Heat Initiative)
“I don’t think that that’s my job is to make good tools.” Zuckerberg said when Senator Josh Hawley asked whether he would establish a fund to compensate victims.
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