Survivor Parents Commend Bipartisan Lawmakers for Honoring Families’ Stories in Energy & Commerce Hearing

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Parents for Safe Online Spaces (ParentsSOS) expresses gratitude to the members of the House Energy & Commerce Committee for acknowledging the profound tragedies experienced by families during today’s hearing on online dangers to children. The recognition of these personal stories and the need to move the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) by bipartisan Members underscores the pervasive and urgent nature of the issue.

Chairman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) highlighted the severity of the situation, noting ParentsSOS member Cheryl Brown’s daughter McKenna’s story, who lost her life due to online harms: “McKenna Brown, a 16-year-old from Tampa Bay, tragically took her life after being victimized by cyberbullying through multiple social media apps and text messages. McKenna’s parents knew none of this until it was too late. Since then, her mother Cheryl has been an advocate for change, urging lawmakers to give parents the tools necessary to keep kids safe.”  

He further emphasized the necessity for bipartisan collaboration to enact protective measures, stating, “​The pain these children experience is horrid, and it breaks my heart. I am hopeful we can work with our friends across the aisle and use this hearing as the catalyst to move important protections for children across the finish line.”​

Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL) highlighted the need to stop Big Tech from continuing to put profits before children’s lives, “It is up to this committee to stand up for the parents, to stand up for young people and to stand up to Big Tech CEOs who want to control our lives and they are willing to sacrifice kids’ well-being for their profits.”

Rep. Erin Houchin (R-IN) addressed ParentsSOS Member Joann Bogard as well as mentioning other ParentsSOS children, saying, “I do want to recognize Mason Bogard whose memory is with us today. 

“These are real kids, real families, real tragedies. These are complex issues with legal and regulatory implications, but it shouldn’t be so complex that we don’t achieve our shared goal, which is to protect kids. Meeting with parents like Joann and those who loved children such as  Annalee [Schott], Becca [Schmill] and Walker [Montgomery] who all lost their lives to online harms, is both heartbreaking and motivating. These families have turned unimaginable grief into a mission to help prevent other tragedies. Every time I meet with them I’m reminded why this work matters.”

ParentsSOS Members Todd and Mia Minor who were in attendance at the hearing and whose son, Matthew, who died from online harms when he was only 12 years old, responded to the hearing with, “While we appreciated the momentum in today’s hearing addressing online dangers to put politics aside and move legislation forward that would prevent further children from dying, we would now like to see this energy and momentum put into action and ask that Congress pass KOSA this year.”

ParentsSOS Member Christine McComas whose daughter, Grace, died by suicide due to online harms, was also at the hearing and said the following, “We felt much comfort in hearing our children’s names at today’s hearing on online dangers, but we ask Congress to remember that KOSA is about saving childrens’ lives, not playing politics, and hope that they pass this crucial piece of legislation without delay.”

KOSA was passed last year by the Senate with overwhelming support in a 91–3 vote and has since been further strengthened to address concerns from a wide range of stakeholders. Speaker Mike Johnson himself pledged to bring KOSA to the floor early this year — a promise that parents across the country are still counting on.

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ParentsSOS, an educational initiative formed by bereaved families to combat online harms, will continue to provide educational resources and advocate for legislative change to protect children online. For more information about ParentsSOS and their mission, visit www.parentssos.org.