A group of British parents joined many others in a protest demanding social media firms,such as Meta, the owner of Facebook, make changes to protect children online following deaths related to various challenges.
The four families flew to New York City and protested with hundreds of others from the United States and Canada right outside the officers of Meta. Mark Kenevan, the father of Isaac, a 13-year-old who died participating in a social media challenge, said they were only asking companies to help protect their kids.
Families Protest Outside of Meta
The families' protest comes as media regulator Ofcom announced that many websites will be legally required to block children's access to harmful content starting in July. This will be mandatory if they want to continue operating within the United Kingdom.
Furthermore, websites will have to introduce more rigorous age checks, according to its final children's code of practice published on Thursday. The British parents walked alongside American families through the streets of New York City, with some holding signs that said, "Meta profits, kids pay the price," according to BBC.
Others were seen holding framed treasured photographs of their kids, who had tragically died. The mother of Isaac, Lisa Kenevan, said that families coming together were giving each other strength.
She said that they only want the government and tech companies to understand that they are not going away. In 2022, a coroner ruled that Isaac died because of misadventure, but his parents claim that social media platforms also played a role in his death.
Many of the parents who joined the protest outside of Meta have filed lawsuits against the company and other social media platforms for the wrongful deaths of their kids. One of the organizers of the event described it as the largest rally by parents who claim that social media use resulted in the death of their children, The Straits Times reported.
The Dangers of Social Media
The demonstration was attended by more than 150 people, who dropped around 650 yellow, white, and red roses outside Meta's front door. They also collectively sent a letter to CEO Mark Zuckerberg demanding that he take immediate action to address the issue.
On top of the dangers of various social media challenges, the internet has become a threatening place for children due to child sexual abuse. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children conducted a study in 2023.
It found that 32 million instances of child sexual abuse were flagged across social media and gaming platforms. Additionally, Interpol issued a warning about the increasing number of cases where predators use online platforms to groom children through manipulation, coercion, and deception, as per The74Million.
