We are calling for more accountability to keep children safe online. Leaders of major social media platforms are scheduled to testify before senators Wednesday about the dangers children face.
All eyes will be on the fact that Enfield's mother is suing several companies over her daughter's death.
“We are the voices of the lost and lost children. They don't have a voice of their own, so we have to be that voice,” said Tammy Rodriguez. Ta.
It's a voice Rodriguez never intended to become. Her 11-year-old daughter Selena took her own life in the summer of 2021. Selena's sister reflected on her struggle with social media.
“There were a few times where she became violent because we tried to separate her from social media posts. So it really became addictive for her,” Destiny Rodriguez said. Told.
The Rodriguez family will be in Washington when several big tech companies, including Meta, Snapchat and Discord, testify before senators about the dangers of online play for children.
“We just want these companies to hold people accountable and keep our children safe,” Destiny Rodriguez said.
Some federal lawmakers are taking action. Sen. Richard Blumenthal is a co-sponsor of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which sets guidelines to protect children when using social media. This includes providing parents with tools to monitor their children's online usage.
Snapchat said in a statement that it supports the bill.
“Protecting youth privacy and safety on Snapchat is a top priority and we support the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Many of KOSA’s provisions are consistent with our existing safeguards. “We have the most stringent privacy settings for teen accounts.'' “We have changed the settings by default to provide additional privacy and safety protections for teens, and provide in-app parental guidance.'' We look forward to continuing to work closely with legislators on this important legislation.”
Discord declined to comment on the bill, but said:
“Keeping our users safe, especially young people, is at the heart of everything we do at Discord. We are actively engaged with the committee on how we can best contribute to this important industry discussion. We welcome the opportunity to work together as an industry and with the Commission.”
Rodriguez is suing Mehta and Snapchat for their alleged involvement in her daughter's death. She feels big tech companies need to do more to ensure other parents don't have to deal with the pain she's experiencing.
“It's not just a temporary solution. This needs to be permanent,” she said.
Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, also declined to comment, but said it was developing tools and resources to protect children and support parents.
TikTok and X, formerly known as Twitter, also did not respond to requests for comment.
