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Families to protest social media CEOs
Hundreds of family members who've lost children are traveling to Washington, D.C., where the CEOs of Discord, Meta, Snap, TikTok, and X are scheduled to testify later this week.
LOS ANGELES - Dozens of families are headed to Washington, D.C., to call out the CEOs of five social media companies as they're expected to testify on Capitol Hill this week. One of those demonstrators will be a local dad who lost his son to fentanyl poisoning.
Sam Chapman's teenage son Sammy died from fentanyl poisoning in 2021. The family says a drug dealer found their son on Snapchat, "and delivered a lethal dose of fentanyl to our house like a pizza," Chapman said. "We found him dead on the floor on Super Bowl Sunday."
Chapman is one of the many family members planning to call out social media executives, as the CEOs of Discord, Snap, Meta, TikTok and X are scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
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While the CEOs will be on Capitol Hill to discuss the efforts they've made to protect children from sexual exploitation on their platforms, Champan says "it's the first time they're going to be all together answering for all the harm that's done to children on their platform.
Chapman said he'll be one of 20 family members sitting in the first row during the hearing. Together they'll be wearing all black, with black ribbons, holding pictures of their lost children, "reminding these CEOs of what they've done and what their platform does every day. We're going down there to make them look at us."
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'Sammy's Law' introduced to Congress
Years after a family lost their son to fentanyl poisoning, a law named after him — Sammy's Law — was introduced to Congress. The bill would require social media platforms to allow third-party software providers access to a child's account, so parents can monitor online interactions.
Chapman is also actively trying to change the social media landscape. "Sammy's Law," named after his son, was introduced to Congress earlier this year. It would allow third-party safety software to be installed on social media platforms. Chapman said the software would monitor kids' apps on their phones and computer and alert parents "if something dangerous happens."
Chapman is also one of several families involved in a lawsuit with Snap, Inc., Snapchat's parent company, filed by families who've lost loved ones to fentanyl poisoning. Ultimately, he said he wants the company CEOs to understand the devastation their platforms have allegedly caused.
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"I've let go of the vengeance, and now I'm trying to help others," Chapman said. "So what I'm really going to be thinking into them is ‘change.' I want them to make these platforms safe for children."
Snap said it's working to stop drug dealers from abusing its platform.
The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 7 a.m. Eastern.