How parents are mobilizing to build a safer web
Joann Bogard from Indiana lost her son Mason to the viral “choking challenge” spread through social media.
Deb Schmill from Massachusetts lost her daughter Becca to fentanyl sold via social media after years of Becca being cyberbullied.
Maurine Molak from Texas lost her son David to suicide after a battle with social media addiction.
Sam Chapman lost his son Sammy to a fentanyl overdose after obtaining drugs through a social media platform.
These are just three stories of many, many more. The parents who have lost children due to the harm caused by social media are finding solidarity and support in parent groups and advocacy initiatives. While the grief is unending and the prevalence of online harm increasing, more and more parents are coming together to fight for a safer tech ecosystem.
Last week, parents who had lost children joined Project Liberty’s founder Frank McCourt in Washington, DC to share their experiences and express how important it is that platforms get redesigned to be optimized for safety. As Project Liberty makes a bid to acquire TikTok and redesign the platform to be designed for individual privacy and safety, parents are painting a picture of the future.
This week, we’re exploring the rise of parents as a constituency to hold social media accountable for the harms caused online, and how they are charting a new vision for the future of safe digital spaces.
// Parents rise up
Propelled by personal stories, whistleblower accounts, congressional hearings, and consistent press, parents are rising up. They are forming affinity groups online, building advocacy organizations, and making their voices heard. There are a number of organizations working to build a safer internet for kids:
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Propelled by personal stories, whistleblower accounts, congressional hearings, and consistent press, parents are rising up.
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// Case study: Mothers Against Drunk Driving
When affected parents band together, change can happen. Consider the organization, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Founded in 1980 by a mother who lost her 13-year-old daughter in a collision with a drunk driver in California, today MADD has become a nationwide organization advocating for stricter sentencing, new laws, and new technology with the goal of ensuring there are no more victims of impaired driving. Its emotional appeals have centered on the devastating but preventable tragedies caused by drunk drivers, leading to major progress, like raising the drinking age to 21 and lowering the legal blood-alcohol limit.
- MADD has over 600 state organizations, chapters, and community action teams across all 50 states and each province of Canada.
- Since its founding, MADD has helped reduce drunk driving deaths by more than 50%, saving an estimated 400,000 lives.
MADD represents a success story of how an organization started by parents can scale to lead a movement to reduce harm and save lives. An academic journal article found five key elements to their success:
- The high visibility of a focused consumer group
- A legislative agenda
- Services for victims
- Influencing social norms
- The availability of valid and reliable monitoring data
All five elements exist in the effort to make social media platforms safer for kids. As more organizations led by parents get off the ground to combat social media ills, MADD’s model could be a blueprint.
// The powerful voice of parents
In January, families and friends of lost loved ones packed the room in a US Congressional hearing to make their voices heard as Mark Zuckerberg and other tech executives testified. High above their heads, they held pictures of their lost children as tech executives passed by. It was a poignant example of how parents are wielding their influence and using their voice to shape the future of tech platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snap, and Facebook.
The good news is that they’re not alone. In research by Project Liberty, 70% of adults globally say it is very important that privacy settings for social media products are set at a high level by default.
In DC last week, parents shared their perspectives about what’s needed to make the internet safer why the People's Bid for TikTok could be a catalyst.
"As the parent of a child who was victimized through social media, I fully support Frank McCourt's and Project Liberty's vision for TikTok," said Schmill, mother of Becca. "It is time for a next-generation Internet that does not subject children to exploitation but instead prioritizes their well-being and that of our society."
"After losing our son to a social media harm, we realized that this issue was not isolated to our family. Parents are begging for change. And Frank McCourt is bringing something new to the table—an opportunity for a better social media platform. One that will allow children to have a safe social media experience and be in control of their personal data," said Bogard, mother of Mason. "The People's Bid for TikTok will disallow Big Tech's current ability to exploit and monetize their time and data. This new type of social media is a welcome change and I fully support it."
// The catalyst for change
Redesigning one platform like TikTok could spark a shift in the entire industry, but it will take the coordinated efforts of parents, young people, policymakers, organizations, and technology platforms to build the next generation of the internet where harm is not the norm. For too many parents, this mission is personal, but that might give it the best chance at success.
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If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a crisis, the national Suicide and Crisis Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7. Just dial or text 988 or go online to 988lifeline.org.
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