Hawley Questions Meta Over Internal Study Data on Social Media Effects

During a 2024 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Missouri U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley questioned Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg about internal study data. Hawley stated that Meta knew its product was a "disaster for teenagers" while publicly denying a link between the product and negative mental health effects. Zuckerberg denied a direct link between negative mental health and social media.

The questioning occurred amid broader efforts by U.S. politicians to push for guardrails and investigations regarding Meta's AI policies and product safety. This pressure is tied to bipartisan efforts, such as the Kids Online Safety Act, which seeks to regulate social media companies deemed harmful to young users.

U.S. politicians, including Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal, have been pushing for investigations and guardrails regarding AI policy involving Meta.