Lawmakers blast big tech companies over kids’ online safety amid a renewed push for legislation.
Lawmakers blast big tech companies over kids’ online safety amid a renewed push for legislation. CNN’s @brikeilarcnn reports
Senators from both parties blasted Big Tech on Tuesday and called for the passage of federal legislation to regulate tech platforms in the midst of a mental health crisis among young Americans.
Opening a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen Dick Durbin, the panel’s chair, accused tech companies including Facebook and Snapchat of “doing everything they can to keep our kids eyes glued to the screens.”
Tuesday’s hearing, which featured testimony from civil society groups and mental health advocates, did not involve witnesses from the tech industry. But Durbin hinted at a possible future hearing involving Big Tech representatives, saying “don’t worry, they’ll have their chance” as the committee invites them to weigh in on legislative proposals.
The hearing comes amid renewed attention on the impact social networks are having on their youngest users. In his State of the Union address last week, President Joe Biden called for Congress to pass legislation to protect kids’ privacy and safety online. Also this month, a New Jersey community was roiled when a 14-year-old student took her own life after a TikTok video showed she was attacked by several other teenagers.
On Tuesday, senators promoted several new and existing pieces of legislation in the works to address different potential online harms.