A group of Democrat and Republican senators slammed Big Tech on Tuesday over its alleged role in contributing to the mental health crisis among young Americans.
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., accused tech companies, namely Snapchat and Facebook, of "doing everything they can to keep our kids' eyes glued to the screens" of smartphones, tablets, and computers.
Durbin, the panel chairman, also announced the circulation of discussion points for a bill that would target the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online, known as the Stop CSAM Act.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the panel's top Republican, stated that he and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., were working together on legislation that would create and empower a "digital regulatory commission" to shut down social media sites — if tech conglomerates failed to adopt the "best business practices" to limit CSAM.
And Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., called for passing both the Kids' Online Safety Act and the EARN IT Act — a pair of hotly debated bills that would have brought forth regulations for social media, while also restricting the capacity to invoke Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which essentially shields tech companies from legal liability.
Congress' failure to pass the bills is "inexcusable," said Blumenthal, while adding the tech companies were "pillaging the public interest with its armies of lobbyists and lawyers despite promises of collaboration."
The Connecticut Democrat then added, "I am haunted by what one parent told me. She asked, 'How many more children have to die before we make them a priority?' "
Tuesday's Senate hearing focused on the impact social media has had with young users and consumers.
During the proceedings, Kristin Bride, whose teenage son Carson committed suicide in 2020 after receiving a barrage of anonymous cyberbullying messages, conveyed that she initially sued Snapchat for facilitating the harassment.
According to Bride, though, the class-action suit was eventually dismissed, after the company invoked Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
Bride described the evening before Carson's death as a "wonderful night," in which he had just started a summer job making pizzas.
"The next morning, I woke to the complete shock and horror that Carson had hung himself in our garage while we slept," Bride said.
A subsequent investigation found dozens of harassing and sexually explicit messages on Carson's cellphone.
"It should not take grieving parents filing a lawsuit to hold this industry accountable for their dangerous and addictive product designs," said Bride. "We need lawmakers to step up, put politics aside and finally protect all children online."
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.