In Louisiana, parents and faith leaders continue calling for House leadership to support kids’ online safety instead of bowing to Big Tech:
“Our nation’s children have been thrust into the complex, technological world of social media without any safety measures. We must protect our children now. We need Johnson and Scalise to join other leaders in Congress in supporting KOSA.” – Blair Aranda, mother who lost her son Brantley to suicide
“It was the worst moment of my parental life, and I felt helpless. We thought we had placed safeguards on his phone to protect him from this – we really did. We were wrong. There are no safeguards for parents that we could find to stop this.” – The Very Rev. Jay Angerer, father whose son was targeted by a sextortion scheme
“The time to act is now.” – Rheneisha Robertson, CEO of Covenant House in New Orleans
“Johnson and Scalise are the last obstacles. Children shouldn’t be dying because they’re scrolling on Instagram.” – Brian Montgomery, father who lost his son Walker to a sextortion scheme
“We’ve heard all of the excuses at this point, and it’s clear that KOSA isn’t about restricting free speech. It’s about stopping the deliberate design of platforms that prey on children’s vulnerabilities. Passing KOSA will prevent other families from living through the nightmare of losing a child.” – Maurine Molak, mother and co-founder of the David’s Legacy Foundation
“The ParentsSOS coalition and the David’s Legacy Foundation’s press conference served as a solemn reminder of the human cost of disregard. By sharing their stories, these parents and advocates highlighted the life-and-death stakes of KOSA, appealing to Johnson and Scalise to help make children’s online safety a national priority.” – Madison Voorhies, NOLA Family reporter
NOLA Family – Advocates Urge Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise to Act on Kids Online Safety Act
Madison Voorhies // 10/28/24
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In New Orleans, leaders from the ParentsSOS coalition and the David’s Legacy Foundation held a compelling press conference, calling on Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise to act on the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). The bill, which passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support, has yet to advance in the House, and Johnson and Scalise remain critical to moving it forward. The bill would require social media platforms to prioritize children’s safety, addressing issues like cyberbullying, online predators, and mental health impacts. Parents affected by these dangers shared deeply personal stories, underscoring the urgency of this legislation.
Maurine Molak, co-founder of the David’s Legacy Foundation, opened the conference by highlighting her own family’s tragedy. Molak’s 16-year-old son, David, died by suicide after facing relentless cyberbullying and social media addiction. Molak emphasized that her advocacy aims to protect other families from similar heartbreak. “We’ve heard all of the excuses at this point, and it’s clear that KOSA isn’t about restricting free speech,” she says. “It’s about stopping the deliberate design of platforms that prey on children’s vulnerabilities. Passing KOSA will prevent other families from living through the nightmare of losing a child.”
South Carolina State Rep. Brandon Guffey, a Republican legislator, also spoke passionately about his son Gavin’s suicide following a sextortion scheme. He noted that more than 40 children have lost their lives to sextortion, citing bipartisan lawsuits from 42 state attorneys general against major tech companies like Meta. Guffey urged Johnson and Scalise to prioritize children’s safety over partisan posturing, framing their inaction as a disservice to the pro-family, pro-Christian values they claim to represent.
Brian Montgomery, a father who lost his son Walker to a similar sextortion scheme, shared how KOSA could prevent such tragedies. Montgomery emphasized KOSA’s “duty of care” mandate, which would require social media companies to disable features that enable predators and ensure their platforms do not contribute to mental health crises. “Johnson and Scalise are the last obstacles,” he explains. “Children shouldn’t be dying because they’re scrolling on Instagram.”
Blair Aranda, holding a photo of her son Brantley, recalled the events that led to his suicide. Although she monitored Brantley’s social media activity regularly, he encountered unsolicited and harmful content on Facebook that intensified his emotional turmoil following a recent breakup. After Brantley’s passing, Aranda discovered disturbing messages on his Facebook feed related to breakups, suicide, and death and algorithms that had reinforced his feelings of despair. “Our nation’s children have been thrust into the complex, technological world of social media without any safety measures,” she states. “We must protect our children now. We need Johnson and Scalise to join other leaders in Congress in supporting KOSA.”
The Very Rev. Jay Angerer, an Episcopal priest from River Ridge, Louisiana, was next to share his personal experience with online sextortion. While he and his wife were on vacation, a predator threatened to expose their 17-year-old son unless he paid $200. Angerer underscored the helplessness he felt, relying solely on Google for guidance in handling the situation. “It was the worst moment of my parental life, and I felt helpless,” he shares. “We thought we had placed safeguards on his phone to protect him from this–we really did. We were wrong. There are no safeguards for parents that we could find to stop this.” As a constituent of Scalise, Rev. Angerer appealed directly to the majority leader, urging action to protect children in his district and across the nation.
Rheneisha Robertson, CEO of Covenant House in New Orleans, closed the conference with a call to action for tech leaders and lawmakers. Representing an organization dedicated to the safety and well-being of vulnerable youth, Robertson argued that KOSA provides a critical opportunity to enhance protections against exploitation and harmful content. “The time to act is now,” Robertson stated, emphasizing that society has a fundamental duty to protect its youngest members.
The ParentsSOS coalition and the David’s Legacy Foundation’s press conference served as a solemn reminder of the human cost of disregard. By sharing their stories, these parents and advocates highlighted the life-and-death stakes of KOSA, appealing to Johnson and Scalise to help make children’s online safety a national priority.