Parent Advocates Urge Senate to Subpoena 2 Tech CEOs Over Children's Harm
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jul 17
Parent Advocates Urge Senate to Subpoena 2 Tech CEOs Over Children's Harm
1 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jul 17
Summary
Parents RISE and ParentsTogether Action asked the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday to subpoena Meta's Mark Zuckerberg and Google's Sundar Pichai, saying only the top executives can answer for platform decisions tied to child deaths and mental health harm.
The push follows private negotiations in which the White House intervened to spare some CEOs from testifying, while Chair Chuck Grassley agreed to hear lower-level company executives and the administration backed the James T. Woods Act, according to four people familiar.
Dick Durbin's office said the top tech CEOs should testify as they did at a similar 2024 hearing, signaling bipartisan support on the panel for subpoenas even as Grassley has not committed publicly.
The parents' groups are also organizing a phone campaign targeting Grassley, while lawmakers try to attach the James T. Woods Act—named for 17-year-old James Woods, who died after sexual extortion on Instagram—to the must-pass defense bill.
In July 2026, the House passed the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act after years of negotiation, combining multiple proposals to address online risks for children. However, the bill’s omission of a 'duty of care' for platforms sparked criticism from advocates and privacy groups, who argue it leaves children vulnerable and compromises privacy. As legal battles against tech giants like Meta and Snap reveal ongoing harms, parent groups are intensifying advocacy, demanding Senate action and direct accountability from tech executives. The debate now centers on balancing child safety, privacy, and state versus federal authority, as the Senate considers next steps.