A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to make it harder for drug dealers and predators to reach children on social media — and they’re making the case with the story of a 16-year-old boy who died after a dealer slid into his Snapchat messages.
The bill, known as Sammy’s Law, would require platforms such as Snapchat and TikTok to open their systems to third-party safety software that monitors children’s accounts and alerts parents when something looks wrong — a drug deal in the works, signs of trafficking, sexual abuse or self-harm.
In the Senate, Republican Sens. Jon Husted of Ohio and Katie Britt of Alabama have teamed up with Democratic Sen. Mark R. Warner of Virginia to push the measure. In the House, Rep. Buddy Carter, Georgia Republican, and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Florida Democrat, are leading the companion bill, which cleared the House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 5.
The bill would apply to the biggest platforms — those with more than 100 million monthly users or at least $1 billion in annual revenue. They’d be required to build technical doorways, known as APIs, so that FTC-registered safety software can tap into a child’s account in real time, pulling data at least once an hour.
It’s opt-in: a parent, guardian, or any child 13 or older can turn it on — or off — whenever they choose.
“In Ohio and across the country, criminals are using social media to target our children — selling them dangerous drugs and exploiting them through sextortion while trying to bypass parents and other trusted adults,” Mr. Husted said. “Parents deserve to know what their kids are exposed to online and have the ability to protect them and save lives.”
Mr. Warner said the bill addresses a problem parents across the country are already living with.
“Parents are struggling to protect their kids from the harmful effects of social media, where children are more exposed than ever to cyberbullying, eating disorders, and other online threats to their well-being,” he said. “Sammy’s Law will give parents the choice to be alerted of concerning behaviors on social media, while protecting their personal information.”
Sammy Chapman’s story is why the bill exists. A dealer found him on Snapchat and offered him free pills.
One night after his parents had gone to bed, Sammy slipped out to meet the dealer, who handed him what turned out to be a lethal dose of fentanyl. He had no idea what he was taking. The next morning, his younger brother walked into his room and found him dead.
His parents — Samuel Chapman and television host and relationship therapist Laura Berman — turned their grief into a cause, founding the Parent Collective to fight for laws that might prevent other families from experiencing the same tragedy.
“If Sammy’s Law had been in place when a drug dealer reached out to our son via social media, he would still be alive,” Mr. Chapman said. “Sammy was poisoned with a lethal dose of fentanyl received from a drug dealer through social media.”
