WASHINGTON, D.C. (WCAX) – Social media leaders were in the hot seat in Washington on Wednesday.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers took five social media companies to task over their failure to protect teens and children online. The CEOs of Meta, Snap, TikTok, X, and Discord came face to face with parents who say their children were harmed or died as a result of online exploitation.
Senator Peter Welch attended that social media committee meeting, questioning tech CEOs about what he calls their persistent failures to protect children online. He said the industry needs an independent watchdog to oversee big tech.
“There is a consensus today that didn’t exist, say, 10 years ago, that there is a profound threat to children, to mental health, to safety,” said Welch. “There’s not a dispute. I appreciate the industry standard decision and steps you’ve taken in your companies, but it’s not enough.”
At the hearing, witnesses acknowledged the need for independent regulation as the industry evolves.
Welch has co-led the Digital Platform Commission Act, which is a bill to establish an expert and independent federal agency to regulate the tech industry.