Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and other social media companies have been accused of promoting harmful content that can lead to suicide, self-harm, eating disorders and the online sexual exploitation of children. The CEOs of the companies faced an intense grilling from US lawmakers. Sen Josh Hawley (R-Mo) forced Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to stand up and apologise for the company's failure to tackle harmful content after an internal study found that Instagram negatively affected teenagers, especially girls. The hearing represented a rare moment of effectiveness from US lawmakers, who have often been criticised for failing to understand the companies they are scrutinising.