These children died from social media. Their parents want new laws to protect others

WASHINGTON — Two brothers died from fentanyl poisoning after experimenting with pills they bought from a stranger on the internet. A 12-year-old died by accidental asphyxiation after participating in a viral “Blackout Challenge.” A 15-year-old girl died by suicide after being sexually harassed and bullied online.

Tighter social media regulations could have saved them, their parents argue. But online safety laws are woefully outdated, as Congress hasn’t revised them in over two decades.

Parents want that to change.

“As parents are desperately trying to keep pace with rapidly escalating technology, they are using a decades-old bill that Congress has yet to tweak or address or change to reflect the modern-day challenges of families and parenting,” Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., said on Tuesday