YouTube, TikTok and Snap were part of a recent Committee hearing in the US Senate. The hearings are part of an on-going debate on social media's effect on children. Facebook has already faced the music but now it was YouTube, TikTok and Snap's turn.
The Senate Commerce Committee concluded that the companies need to do more in regards to child safety online. The lawmaker's fired a volley of questions at the companies representatives. YouTube and TikTok were pressed on their AI Algorithms and the way recommendations work. Snap found itself in hot water, with promotion of drugs on its platform.
TikTok was asked about its ties with ByteDance, a Chinese company with rumoured ties to the Chinese government. TikTok's representative, Michael Beckerman, Head of Public Policy, also dodged questions about the data TikTok collects and said that it was lower than what Facebook does.
Senator Richard Blumenthal said that the tech companies needed to do more when it came to security and privacy. He also lamented companies comparing themselves to Facebook.
“I understand from your testimony that your defense is ‘we’re not Facebook,’” Blumenthal said.
“Being different from Facebook is not a defense. That bar is in the gutter. It's not a defense to say that you are different.”
Senator Ed Markey said that "Big Tech," relies on children and teens to make money and called for more legislative solutions to combat these problems.
Snap said that its platform Snapchat was "an antidote to social media," proclaiming that very little of its content was processed by algorithms. The company was pressed on its recent issues with "drug-dealers" on its platform and the recently disabled speed filter that showed people their car speeds when taking a photo or video.
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