Washington, Feb 27, 2026
A senior Republican senator has launched a twin attack on two of America’s most powerful technology companies, accusing Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg of “denial and deceit” in a landmark child safety trial and alleging that Apple News has “systematically suppressed” right-leaning publications in favour of liberal outlets.
US Senator Marsha Blackburn, speaking on the Senate floor, cited newly released court documents from a California trial examining whether social media platforms are designed to harm young users.
“New court documents made public last week revealed that nearly 1 in 5 young teenagers report seeing ‘nudity or sexual images on Instagram’ that they didn’t want to see. 1 in 5,” she said.
“That’s just one shocking fact that we have learned through a landmark trial in California that is focused on how social media platforms harm American children.”
She described the findings as deeply troubling.
“It is appalling what these companies have done. Yet when he testified last week, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg doubled down on his record of denial—while sitting just feet away from parents who have tragically lost their children to social media harms.”
“Once again, Zuckerberg asserted that there is no link between youth social media use and worse mental health outcomes. But Meta’s own research has shown the exact opposite.”
In a separate statement following Zuckerberg’s appearance before a jury in Los Angeles, Blackburn said: “To no one’s surprise, Mark Zuckerberg followed his usual playbook of denial and deceit while sitting just a few steps away from parents who have tragically lost their children as a consequence of the way his platforms are designed to harm young users.”
She added that “86 per cent of Americans want Big Tech companies to be held accountable for their role in the social media addiction crisis.”
“These companies are using the same playbook as Big Tobacco did decades ago by trying to keep kids hooked on products that hurt them. It’s time for legislators to stop ignoring the will of the American people and ensure social media platforms are safer by design for our children and grandchildren.”
Blackburn also sent a February 19 letter to Apple chief executive Tim Cook raising concerns about alleged bias in Apple NewsLetter to Apple.
In the letter, she wrote that Apple News had “systematically suppressed news articles from conservative publications while amplifying articles from liberal outlets.”
“According to the Media Research Center (MRC), which analyzed over 600 stories featured by Apple News in the morning time slots between January 1 and January 31 of this year, 440 of these were published by left-leaning outlets. A whopping zero stories from outlets considered right-leaning were featured.”
She cited comments that Americans are not “getting the full scope of perspectives available.”
The letter also referenced a communication from the Federal Trade Commission warning that “the systematic suppression of viewpoints—regardless of political affiliation—could violate consumer protection rules.”
“Apple News is automatically installed on Apple devices and was purportedly ranked the most popular news application in the United States, Canada, and Australia in January,” Blackburn wrote. “You have a responsibility to offer access to information without favor or bias toward one political party.”
The Los Angeles trial marks one of the most closely watched legal confrontations between grieving families and a social media giant over allegations of addictive design and youth harm.
The case has intensified pressure on lawmakers to revisit proposals that would impose a statutory “duty of care” on platforms serving minors.(Agency)
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