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The White House reportedly stepped in to prevent the CEOs of Meta Platforms Inc. and Alphabet Inc., Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai, respectively, from testifying at a Senate hearing on child safety practices.<\/p>\n
Instead, the heads of Instagram and YouTube, subsidiaries of Meta and Google, respectively, are set to testify at the\u00a0hearing, tentatively scheduled for July\u00a028, reported POLITICO on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
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The White House has endorsed the James T. Woods Act, a legislative package designed to address online child exploitation. Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a supporter of the proposal, agreed to substitute company executives for the hearing.<\/p>\n
Grassley previously invited the CEOs of Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snapchat\u00a0parent\u00a0Snap Inc. to testify at a hearing on child online safety, which he described as examining whether social media is facing its \u201cBig Tobacco moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Grassley told the publication that the senator is focused on \u201cgetting\u00a0lifesaving child safety legislation actually\u00a0signed into law,\u201d rather than holding hearings primarily aimed at generating online clicks and views.<\/p>\n
White House, Meta and Alphabet did not immediately respond to Benzinga\u2019s request for comments.<\/p>\n
See Also: Avoid the #1 Investing Mistake: How Your \u2018Safe\u2019 Holdings Could Be Costing You Big Time<\/a><\/p>\n Social Media Giants Under Scrutiny<\/p>\n This development comes days after Meta reportedly decided to back the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a bill that mandates tech firms to establish online safety measures for children, after years of opposing it. This is because the bill would preempt state AI regulations and require app stores operated by Google and Apple to implement age verification, transferring part of the responsibility for child safety from social media companies to app store platforms.<\/p>\n In 2025, Meta faced criticism\u00a0over its AI strategy and alleged permission for chatbots to engage in inappropriate conversations with children. This prompted Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) to call for an immediate investigation, increasing regulatory scrutiny and reputational pressure on the social media giant.<\/p>\n Meanwhile,\u00a0YouTube settled a lawsuit\u00a0brought by a teenager who claimed he became addicted to social media, suffering sleep disruption, anxiety, and depression as a result.<\/p>\n Image via Shutterstock<\/p>\n Read Next:\u00a0<\/p>\n Building Wealth Across More Than Just the Market<\/p>\n Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That\u2019s why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. 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