VIDEO: Why We Must Pass The Kids Online Safety Act
September 16, 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) released a heart-wrenching video showcasing the urgent need to pass the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act to save lives.
Senator Blackburn sat down with Kathy, a Middle Tennessee mom, who shared her tragic story of how her 17-year-old son, Vaughn-Thomas, bought a pill likely on Snapchat that was unknowingly laced with fentanyl and was poisoned.
Watch Kathy’s story to learn why Congress must pass KOSA here.
Vaughn-Thomas Was a Good Student and an Athlete
“He was very strong in his faith, he loved his friends, he was a good student, he was athletic, [and] he loved golf. Life was going really well for him.” – Kathy
The Last Time Kathy Saw Her Son – “Good Night, I Love You”
“[On] December 1st, I had put up some Christmas decorations and I had gone to pick up my youngest at basketball practice. Vaughn-Thomas texted me he was hungry, he just got through working out at the gym [and he] wanted me to grab him some food. I brought that home to him and we talked a little bit and I gave him a big hug and said ‘good night I love you’ and he hugged me back and said ‘I love you more.’ That was the last time I talked to him.” – Kathy
Vaughn-Thomas Was Poisoned from a Pill Likely Bought on Snapchat
“When Vaughn-Thomas didn't wake up to his alarm, that's when we found him. He took what he thought was a Xanax, it was a counterfeit Xanax [laced with fentanyl]. He [may have acquired] some of that via Snapchat. One mistake should not have been a death sentence for Vaughn-Thomas.” – Kathy
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BACKGROUND: |
- KOSA would specifically help mitigate social media being used to push drugs such as fentanyl onto our children.
- KOSA includes a “duty of care” that requires social media companies to prevent and mitigate certain harms, including illicit drugs such as fentanyl, that they know their platforms and products are causing young users to be exposed to as a result of their own design choices, such as their recommendation algorithms and addictive product features.
- In July, the Senate voted 91-3 in favor of KOSA.
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