WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) today delivered remarks in favor of Sammy’s Law, a bipartisan bill safeguarding children online by informing parents about dangerous interactions on social media, at an Energy and Commerce Committee markup.
Watch and read the highlights below:
“Joining me in this bipartisan amendment are Rep. Schrier and Rep. Miller-Meeks.
“This amendment would insert H.R. 5778, Sammy’s Law, which gives parents the choice to use third-party safety software to protect their children from harmful situations on social media.
“The bill is named after Sammy Chapman who, at the age of 16, was approached by a drug dealer on Snapchat, and was unknowingly and unnecessarily a victim of fentanyl poisoning.
“If his parents, and many other parents, were able to use a third-party safety app and alerted to this kind of activity, his tragic death may have been prevented.
“Our children are being victimized by bad actors on social media.
“There are far too many parents who have tragically lost their children because of this malicious activity facilitated by social media.
“As a father and a grandfather, my heart aches for Sammy’s parents and any others who have lost a child too soon. No parent should have to endure that pain.
“I am glad this committee is taking action to help protect kids online, and I am proud to cosponsor both KOSA and COPPA 2.0.
“I believe Sammy’s Law is an essential complement to these important pieces of legislation, especially KOSA, which would require third-party integration if proven to be an effective intervention.
“These third-party safety apps are proven to identify drug abuse, human trafficking, mental health crises, eating disorders, and other similarly harmful situations before they endanger our children, so that they can get the help they need.
“Social media platforms do not currently permit these life-saving tools, and KOSA, absent Sammy’s Law, would not accomplish this necessary change.
“Children spend hours and hours on social media – and we know that the youth who report frequent social media use are more likely to experience poor mental health.
“There is a silent epidemic happening in almost every home in America, and we have to take this seriously.
“Unfortunately, there is resistance to moving this bill forward, despite the legislation adding critical protection for children while also increasing privacy for them.
“Preventing parents from using these types of safety tools will only lead to more deaths. We cannot allow drug dealers to have more access to our children than parents.
"I want to repeat that: We cannot allow drug dealers to have more access to our children than parents.
“I urge committee leadership to continue to work with us on getting this bill across this finish line to help save lives.
“My staff stands ready to work with yours to coordinate demos of software to fully grasp how critical this technology is to protecting our youth.
“I can’t think of a single reason that anyone – anyone – would oppose this bill, and I welcome any comments from other committee members.
“Explain to me why you’re more afraid of parents than fentanyl. Why you're more afraid of parents than fentanyl. Please explain that to me.
“I look forward to moving Sammy’s Law forward, and ensuring these tools are more widely accessible.”
Read the full text of Sammy’s law here.
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