On that tragic day, both women lost their teenage sons. Although their children lived a thousand miles apart and never met, they both succumbed to tragedies linked to social media use.
When these two mothers first crossed paths in their quest to advocate for other children, Bride expressed feeling “totally alone.” Since then, they have witnessed the growth of the online child safety movement, with many other parents who have lost children joining the effort for enhanced social media protections and legislation.
With this rising momentum, advocates believe the tide is shifting. Two significant jury verdicts this year have laid a pathway for holding tech companies accountable. Although the U.S. is still far from enacting social media bans for children akin to those in Australia and Indonesia, there is a renewed push for regulation in Congress.
“For me, moving forward, it’s this groundswell. We now have the court of public opinion in our favor, which is powerful. That has elevated our efforts,” Neville stated during an interview.
Neville described her son Alexander as “brilliant and intense,” a young man with an entrepreneurial spirit and “the best laugh in the world.” At 14, he connected with a drug dealer on Snapchat who sold him the pill that ultimately took his life. Carson Bride, known as the “bright light” of his family, was a caring and humorous boy who thrived on social connections; he died by suicide at 16 after enduring severe cyberbullying.
The teenagers were commemorated in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, alongside 270 others who lost their lives due to online harms. This occasion marked the sixth anniversary of the boys’ deaths, a date their families have designated as Social Media Victims Remembrance Day.
As awareness of the dangers social media poses for developing brains grows, a wave of new restrictions has emerged worldwide. Countries like Australia, the U.K., Turkey, and Indonesia have implemented bans on children under 15 or 16 from using platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.
In the U.S., the movement gained traction with two jury verdicts against Meta and one against Google, energizing advocates focused on children’s online safety. The court cases have exposed some of these companies’ inner workings, revealing employee communications that compared their products to drugs and casinos.
The advancement of the Los Angeles trial, which accuses social media platforms of intentionally harming children, signifies a pivotal moment, according to Matthew Bergman, head of the Social Media Victims Law Center, representing over 1,000 plaintiffs in lawsuits against social media companies.
Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act grants tech companies immunity from legal liability regarding user-generated content. While this has acted as a barrier, lawsuits are navigating around its protections by emphasizing the companies’ deliberate design choices instead of content.
“It remains a challenge, but it’s no longer an insurmountable barrier,” Bergman remarked.
Federal legislation regulating social media in the U.S. has made slow progress. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, enacted in 2000, mandates that child-focused apps and websites obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13.
Recently, lawmakers in the House revealed a bipartisan agreement known as the Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act. This act incorporates elements of the Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, which passed the Senate in 2024. However, critics argue that it lacks its most crucial element — a “duty of care” provision requiring companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm.
“Without a duty of care, Big Tech companies will continue to prioritize profits over the safety of our children,” said Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., in a statement.
Bride emphasized that advocates should adopt a three-pronged strategy that includes legislation, litigation, and education. “If one approach stalls, like legislation,” she explained, “then we have trials and litigation to keep pushing forward. We’re not going to stop.”
Representatives from Meta, YouTube, and TikTok did not respond to requests for comment. Snap, however, stated in writing that it continually works to strengthen safety measures across its platform.
Over the years, social media companies have introduced various safety features, including creating separate teen accounts and implementing stricter restrictions for younger teenagers. For example, Instagram now limits teen accounts to viewing content suitable for a “PG-13” rating, and these accounts are set to private, preventing contact from strangers. YouTube offers a separate kids’ app and allows for parental controls on its standard platform, facilitating “supervised kid accounts” for preteens transitioning out of YouTube Kids.
Nevertheless, child advocates argue that significant progress is still needed.
“The fundamental incentive to design products that maximize engagement remains unchanged,” Bergman noted. “While there have been some improvements, such as ensuring a 13-year-old isn’t automatically assigned an open account vulnerable to adult predators, these are merely baby steps. We need to take more substantial strides.”
Since 2024, the Senate has passed an annual resolution recognizing June 23 as Social Media Harms Victim Remembrance Day, honoring the lives lost due to online dangers, including suicide, drug overdose, cyberbullying, and risky social media challenges.
At Tuesday’s event, several parents and advocates, including Bride and Neville, spoke while senators called for immediate action.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., advocated for the repeal of Section 230. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., emphasized that advocates and lawmakers must “fight like hell for the living.” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., criticized his fellow Congress members for their inaction, stating, “we all know why” progress has been stalled.
“It’s the same reason why these companies want kids online, wish to invade their privacy, and seek to exploit their data — it’s all about money,” Hawley commented, noting that the tech industry makes significant campaign contributions to lawmakers and spends millions on lobbying each year.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has invited CEOs from Meta, Alphabet, TikTok, and Snap to testify at an upcoming hearing focused on child safety on their platforms. The committee has indicated that the U.S. may be nearing a critical turning point in recognizing the risks of social media, posing the question, “Is This Social Media’s Big Tobacco Moment?”
Bride and Neville will listen closely to the testimonies of these tech CEOs, as they have in past hearings and events focused on children’s online safety, and they remain hopeful.
Neville expressed her concern, stating, “Every morning I wake up, lives are at stake. If we’re not discussing these issues, if we’re not taking action, lives are at risk.” She added, “That reality may not be good for my mental health, but it’s the state I’ll endure until I die on this hill.”
