SPEAKING OF PROTECTING KIDS: You no doubt heard or read about the latest edition of “Tech CEOs Let Congress Bash Them for the Cameras,” the Senate hearing earlier this week during which, among much else, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg “apologized” to the crowd of grieving parents in the audience who claimed their children died due to bullying on social media or other causes related to the digital universe.

And speaking of Facebook, Tara Fredericks, the Heritage Foundation’s resident expert on these issues, spent a good part of her career at Facebook prior to hitching up with the country’s biggest conservative think tank. Here’s her take on the hearing and the issue that prompted it:

“This hearing is taking place against the backdrop of mounting evidence of a direct link between social media and negative mental health impacts on children and teenagers. A 2023 study by University of North Carolina neuroscientists found that habitual social media use may be rewiring the brains of children as young as 12 years old.

“Similarly, a March 2022 study by Cambridge University discovered a direct relationship between increased social media use and a decrease in life satisfaction in young adolescents. While these studies show alarming trends, we also know the real-life consequences from talking with parents who have seen firsthand the effects of social media on their own children.

“This hearing is an important step toward accountability and solutions, especially as companies target younger and younger users. Insulating our children from the predations of Big Tech and empowering parents to fight back must be a top priority.”

Frankly, I am skeptical that anything concrete will actually happen as a result of the hearing, but one can always hope. It was worth watching if only to see the Zuck actually turn and face his accusers in a moment of something approximating accountability.