Sammy's Law: Protecting Kids on Social Media

0:00It's March 26th. This is Birmingham News today, AI-powered stories from your city. Sammy's Law is a bipartisan bill moving through Congress to help keep kids safer on social media. It would let parents use special safety apps to check their children's accounts on big platforms and spot warning signs. The law is named for 16-year-old Sammy Chapman, who died from a fentanyl overdose after connecting with a drug dealer on Snapchat. These apps would work on sites like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, alerting parents to risks such as talk of suicide, drug use, sexual abuse, bullying, violence, trafficking, scams, or kids sharing personal details like addresses. Lawmakers like Senator Katie Britt from Alabama support the bill, stressing the need for parents that have tools against all-mind dangers facing young, people every day. For kids 13 and under, parents make the call on using the apps. Parents over 13 get some say, but parents have the final word until age 17.

1:02The apps also protect privacy by limiting data sharing to court orders or emergencies like abuse threats. Right now, the bill waits for a house vote before heading to the Senate, aiming to give families real-time help without overstepping on every day.