I don’t usually write about current events, especially about Senate hearings in Washington, but this story caught my eye. I heard it first on the radio, something about FaceBook’s Mark Zuckerberg apologizing to parents whose children were harmed or died allegedly as a result of using social media.

Apologized? Not so fast.

Wall Street Journal’s above-the-fold headline on February 1, 2024, shows Mark Zuckerberg addressing parents on January 31, some of whom are holding up pictures of their children. The article, entitled, “‘You Have Blood on Your Hands’: Senators Say Tech Platforms Hurt Children” starts:

Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, TikTok’s Shou Zi Chew and other tech CEOs faced withering bipartisan criticism on Wednesday from senators who said social-media platforms must bear more legal liability when children are harmed online. “You have blood on your hands,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) told the executives during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee, eliciting applause from a packed audience that included many holding pictures of children. The presence of grieving families lent the roughly four-hour session an emotional charge, as lawmakers repeated stories of sexual exploitation, suicide and other suffering blamed on social media.

Here’s the “apology:”

At one point, Sen. Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) asked Zuckerberg to apologize to parents in the audience. The Facebook founder stood, turned, and said:

“I’m sorry for everything that you have all gone through. It’s terrible. No one should have to go through the things that your families have. This is why we invest so much and are going to continue doing industry-leading efforts…to make sure that no one has to go through the types of things that your families have had to suffer.”

It doesn’t sound like an apology to me. He’s “sorry for everything that you have all gone through…” It actually sounds more like a commercial: “This is why we invest so much…doing industry-leading efforts…”

There are well-documented elements of an effective apology, including acceptance of responsibility and commitment to change. It’s somewhat like the elements of effective repentance outlined by the Apostle Paul:

Yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (2 Corinthians 7.9 – 10, NIV)

Not “I’m sorry I got caught,” but “I’m sorry, and I’ll change.” For a full review of the hearings with commentary, I recommend Peggy Noonan’s observations, similar to mine but in way more depth.

In the meantime, let’s pay attention to how we apologize and accept responsibility for our behavior. (It seems I’ve written about this before, but it’s been 4 years!)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1.9, NIV)