Tech News Summary:
- A Senate panel has subpoenaed the CEOs of Elon Musk’s X, Discord, and Snap to testify at a hearing on children’s online safety.
- Lawmakers are investigating how social media platforms can harm children’s mental health, and are pushing for legislation to create new safety barriers for children and teens on the Internet.
- The hearing will focus on online child sexual exploitation, highlighting ongoing efforts by lawmakers to hold social media companies accountable for protecting young users from harmful content and interactions.
The Senate has issued subpoenas for the CEOs of Elon Musk’s X and Snap to testify on kids’ safety. The move comes after concerns about the impact of social media and technology on the mental and emotional well-being of young people.
Elon Musk and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel have been asked to appear before the Senate Commerce subcommittee on consumer protection, which is investigating the ways in which social media platforms and technology companies are targeting and engaging with children and teenagers.
The hearing is set to take place on October 26th, and will focus on issues such as the usage of data and algorithms to target young users, the impact of social media on children’s mental health, and the measures that these companies are taking to protect young users from harmful content and experiences.
The subpoenas come at a time of growing scrutiny and concern about the effects of social media and technology on young people, particularly in the wake of a recent whistleblower complaint about Facebook’s impact on children’s mental health.
This hearing will provide an opportunity for lawmakers to hear directly from industry leaders about their companies’ practices and policies, and to explore potential regulatory measures to ensure the safety and well-being of young social media users. It also showcases the increasing attention being paid to the ethics and social responsibility of technology companies in their interactions with younger generations.