On February 7, 2021, 16-year-old Sammy Chapman was killed in his Santa Monica home after purchasing drugs on social media. Now, his parents are fighting to pass Sammy’s Law, which would require social media platforms to allow integration with third-party monitoring software. The bill has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and is one step closer to becoming law.
Following the tragic death of their 16-year-old son Sammy, who purchased a fentanyl-laced pill on Snapchat, Sam Chapman and Laura Berman are advocating for Sammy’s Law. This legislation (SB 1444) aims to require major social media platforms to allow integration with third-party monitoring software, empowering parents to detect potential dangers such as drug sales, firearm sales, bullying, or suicidal thoughts on their children’s accounts. While the bill faces opposition from technology industry groups and civil liberty organizations citing concerns about user privacy and data misuse, it has incorporated safeguards and amendments to address these issues. If passed, Sammy’s Law would potentially have a significant impact by protecting children from social media-related risks and driving changes in social media companies’ practices at a national level through the ‘California Effect.’
