This Mother’s Day, Congress can honor moms by passing legislation that protects kids online
Congress may not agree on much, but when it comes to prioritizing the well-being of our children, our lawmakers are in alignment. By passing responsible social media safeguards now, we can honor the memory of those we have lost and work together to build a safe and supportive online environment.
Moms are not happy.
In lieu of flowers, cards or breakfast in bed, moms across the country are yearning for something else this Mother’s Day.
We do everything in our power to protect our kids and keep them safe from harm. We tell them to look both ways before crossing the street and to wear a helmet while riding a bike. We show them what to do in case of a fire or emergency and who to contact for help. We teach them not to talk to strangers or share personal information with anyone they don’t know online. But in today’s digital age, our best efforts just aren’t enough. Parents can’t solve this problem alone.
We need help — and we want action. Action from Congress to address the devastating consequences of an unregulated social media industry and take meaningful steps to protect our children online.
My son Carson, like countless others, fell victim to the relentless harassment and cruelty that so often thrives online. Cyberbullying isn’t just a harmless exchange of words. It’s a form of psychological violence that can result in serious harm, including depression, anxiety, and tragically, suicide. Carson was a bright, kind-hearted young man, but the constant barrage of hateful messages he received online from anonymous classmates pushed him to a breaking point.
No parent should ever have to endure the pain of losing a child in such a senseless and preventable way. He should still be here today, and so should every child whose life has been needlessly cut short due to the harmful effects of an industry that has repeatedly placed profits above safety.
I’ve turned my grief into action. And I’m not alone. One hundred days ago, parents like me who lost a child sat in a congressional hearing room while senators grilled tech CEOs about the dangerous products they have unleashed on a generation of developing brains all while padding their pockets and keeping their own kids off of social media.
It was Meta CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg who, after a pointed line of questioning by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), stood to apologize to the families in the room. “I’m sorry for everything you have all been through,” he said. “No one should go through the things that your families have suffered.”
I can’t say whether Zuckerberg’s remorse was genuine — or if it was an apology at all. After all, he took no responsibility for the harms caused by the company he founded, and platforms like Meta aren’t doing nearly enough to combat the negative effects we’re seeing today. In fact, according to a recent analysis by the cross partisan nonprofit Issue One, Meta’s lobbying expenditures skyrocketed 66 percent during the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year. That means that while Zuckerberg appeared apologetic at the Senate hearing, his team was spending millions to dissuade Congress from taking action that would require social media companies to make their products safer for kids.
Multiple whistleblowers have come forward to demonstrate that Meta knew their business model and algorithmic feed created “a perfect storm” of eating disorders, body dissatisfaction, loneliness and depression in teenage girls. Yet the company dramatically underestimates the rates that Instagram and Facebook users, especially children and teens, experience harms like bullying, sexual harassment and exposure to self-harm content.
It’s why companies like Meta cannot be trusted to act in the best interest of its users, and why Congress must take action by passing the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA).
KOSA directly addresses the harmful social media business model by placing the health and well-being of our children over profits and advertising revenue. It would require the platforms to mitigate key harms — from anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and suicidal behaviors to addiction, bullying, sexual exploitation and the sale of illicit drugs to minors — through their product design and operations. It would give minors tools to restrict their public visibility, disable addictive product features, allow minors to opt out of manipulative algorithmic recommendations, and enable the strongest safety settings by default.
KOSA is not a partisan bill. It has been endorsed by two-thirds of the entire U.S. Senate — Republicans and Democrats alike. A companion bill was just introduced in the House last month. And an overwhelming majority of the public — nearly 9 in 10 U.S. voters — support this bipartisan legislation that will take concrete steps to protect our kids.
We don’t need another hearing. We don’t need any more forced apologies. We need action. Congress must be bold and stand up to the powerful tech industry by holding these companies accountable for the harmful product designs and content pushed to young users on their platforms.
Congress may not agree on much, but when it comes to prioritizing the well-being of our children, our lawmakers are in alignment. By passing responsible social media safeguards now, we can honor the memory of those we have lost and work together to build a safe and supportive online environment.
Our children deserve better. Moms deserve better. Carson deserved better. The time for action is now, and I won’t stop fighting until Congress passes KOSA.
Kristin Bride is a member of Issue One's Council for Responsible Social Media.