***Photos & Video***The Voices Behind the Kids Online Safety Act: Maurine Molak from Texas

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – The bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act, led by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), is strongly supported by a broad coalition of parents who have tragically lost their children or whose kids have been severely harmed by Big Tech, young people who want to regain control over their online lives, and experts and advocates who study and see the negative effects of social media firsthand in their communities. The “Voices Behind the Kids Online Safety Act” series will amplify their stories as they call on Congress to pass the legislation to help protect themselves online and to hold Big Tech accountable. The bill has the support of nearly half of the U.S. Senate.

Maurine Molak, Texas

View Maurine’s full remarks HERE

“What I’ve noticed is that I’m the last person to speak today, but I’m also probably the longest person here. It has been almost 8 years since my son died. To see every single one of these parents after me is devastating and we’ve got to do something now,” said Maurine at the recent roundtable held by Blumenthal and Blackburn with other parents whose children have died or been harmed by Big Tech.

Maurine’s son David had a very unhealthy relationship with technology and was addicted to online gaming and social media. Months into his addiction, he was relentlessly targeted by cyberbullies on Instagram and GroupMe, causing him to completely lose hope. David died by suicide at the age of 16 on Jan 4^th, 2016.

Blumenthal and Blackburn are the lead sponsors of the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act, which would provide kids and parents with better tools to protect themselves online, hold Big Tech accountable for harms to kids, and provide transparency into black box algorithms.

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