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In September on Capitol Hill, while sitting across from the most recent survivor parents who bravely testified on the horrors unleashed by chatbots resulting in their children’s deaths, I suddenly felt ancient and obsolete.  

Five years ago, I lost my 16-year-old son, Carson, to suicide after he was viciously cyberbullied by his high school classmates over Snapchat’s anonymous app, Yolo.  This dangerous product design allowed teens to hurl anonymous insults at a known teen victim. 

I, too, testified before Congress in 2023 and strongly advocated for legislation to address this completely unregulated industry, which is harming our children. This marked the beginning of my harrowing journey – repeatedly telling the story of the worst day of my life to an endless list of staff members on Capitol Hill.  

My story was told alongside other survivor parents whose children died of sextortion, fentanyl poisoning from drugs marketed, purchased and delivered over Snapchat, deadly online challenges and pro-suicide content fed to vulnerable children over Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Sometimes, staffers would shed sincere tears. Other times, they would glance down at their phones, visibly uncomfortable, even in the middle of our tragic tales. Many met us with blank, emotionless stares.  

These trips were exhausting, but we remained focused on creating change. It appeared our efforts were paying off when the Senate overwhelmingly passed the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) in a 91-3 vote in July 2024.

Clear support existed in the House. Had Speaker

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