Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Jun 28: Amy Neville and Kristin Bride describe each other as “soulmates” after being united by the unimaginable loss of their teenage sons, both of whom died on June 23, 2020, due to harms linked to social media.

Although their sons lived thousands of miles apart and never met, both families say their tragedies were connected to dangers associated with online platforms. Neville’s son Alexander died after a drug dealer allegedly connected with him on Snapchat and sold him the pill that killed him, while Bride’s son Carson died by suicide at the age of 16 after suffering severe cyberbullying.

The two mothers later joined the growing movement seeking stronger protections for children online. They say the campaign has gained momentum, with more parents who lost children due to online harms demanding accountability from technology companies and stronger laws.

The teenagers were honoured in Washington DC along with 270 other young people who died due to online harms, marking the sixth anniversary of their deaths. Families and advocates have been working to establish June 23 as Social Media Victims Remembrance Day.

Neville said the movement has reached a turning point, with increasing public awareness and recent legal victories against major technology companies.

“Moving forward for me, it's this groundswell. We now have the court of public opinion on our side, and that is powerful. That has brought things to the next level,” Neville said.

A major development came after jury verdicts against social media companies, including cases involving Meta and Google, where advocates argued that platforms had designed products in ways that increased risks for children.

Matthew Bergman, founder of the Social Media Victims Law Center, said a major shift occurred when a Los Angeles trial alleging that social media platforms caused harm to children was allowed to proceed.

He said lawsuits are now focusing on companies’ product design choices rather than only the content posted by users, allowing them to move around protections under Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act.

“It is still a hurdle, but it is no longer a barrier,” Bergman said.

Globally, several countries including Australia, the United Kingdom, Turkey and Indonesia have introduced restrictions limiting children’s access to platforms such as TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.

In the United States, lawmakers are again debating federal regulation. A bipartisan proposal called the Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act has been introduced, incorporating parts of the Kids Online Safety Act passed by the Senate in 2024.

However, critics say the proposal removes a key “duty of care” provision that would require technology companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm.

Senator Marsha Blackburn criticised the removal, saying without such a provision, technology companies may continue prioritising profits over child safety.

Bride said advocates must continue a three-pronged approach involving legislation, legal action and education.

“When one stalls, like legislation, then we have the trials and we have litigation. So we keep pressing forward. We're not going to give up,” she said.

Social media platforms have introduced some safety measures, including separate teen accounts, stricter privacy settings and parental controls. Instagram has restricted teen accounts to age-appropriate content and prevents unknown adults from messaging younger users, while YouTube provides supervised accounts for children.

However, child safety advocates say more needs to be done.

Bergman said while some improvements have been made, the basic incentive of platforms to maximise user engagement remains unchanged.

“There are baby steps, but there are steps in the right direction. We just need more of them,” he said.

US senators have also highlighted growing concerns over social media-related harms. Since 2024, the Senate has passed a resolution annually recognising June 23 as Social Media Harms Victim Remembrance Day.

During a recent event, lawmakers called for urgent action, with Senator Amy Klobuchar supporting changes to Section 230 and Senator Richard Blumenthal urging continued efforts to protect children.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has also invited executives from Meta, Alphabet, TikTok and Snap to testify at an upcoming hearing on child safety, questioning whether social media is facing a moment similar to the tobacco industry’s accountability battles.

Neville and Bride said they will continue pushing for reforms and accountability.

“Every morning I wake up, lives are on the line. If we're not talking about these things, if we're not doing something about it, lives are on the line,” Neville said.