FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Feb. 17, 2026
Contact: Ashwin Verghese, Communications Director, [email protected], 508-263-0289
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***AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS: Fairplay’s legal experts and network of survivor parents whose children died from social media harms are available for interviews, both on the ground in Los Angeles and in cities across the United States. To schedule an interview, contact Ashwin Verghese at [email protected] or 508-263-0289.***
Below is a statement from Fairplay Executive Director Josh Golin:
“Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony will be a watershed moment for parents, families, and advocates who have fought to hold Meta’s CEO accountable for choosing profits over kids’ safety. But this is not the first time Zuckerberg has had to answer under oath about the harm his products have caused children, and whatever the outcome of this trial, it will only be one step toward truly keeping kids safe online.
“Almost exactly two years ago, I was in the room at a Senate hearing when Zuckerberg was forced to apologize to survivor parents whose children died as a result of harms they experienced on Instagram and other social media products. But in the two years since, Instagram has only gotten more dangerous for children and teens, and Meta has fought legislation at every turn that would require social media companies to make their product designs safer.
“Congress should stand with survivors and families, not Zuckerberg and Big Tech. The Kids Online Safety Act is the only thoroughly vetted bill with broad bipartisan support that would help prevent the wide range of serious harms young people face online. Survivor parents have spent four years fighting to get this bill passed, and they’ve secured support for the legislation from over three-fourths of the US Senate. Unfortunately, House Republican leadership has refused to bring the Senate version of KOSA up for a vote. Instead, they have introduced their own tech-friendly version of the bill that not only guts the key ‘duty of care’ provision but offers a massive giveaway to Zuckerberg and other tech CEOs by preventing states from enforcing or enacting their own laws to protect children online.
“I hope this trial offers some measure of justice to the thousands of families who have been harmed by Meta and other Big Tech companies. But Congress cannot simply wait for the courts to act; it must fulfill its duty to keep our children safe online. Congress must stand with families over Big Tech and pass a strong version of the Kids Online Safety Act without delay.”
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About Fairplay
Fairplay is the leading nonprofit committed to helping children thrive in an increasingly commercialized, screen-obsessed culture, and the only organization dedicated to ending marketing to children. Fairplay works to enhance children’s well-being by eliminating the exploitative and harmful business practices of marketers and Big Tech. Learn more at www.fairplayforkids.org.