Grieving families hold vigil outside New York City Meta office, demand more protections for kids
EAST VILLAGE, Manhattan (WABC) -- Dozens of families rallied outside Meta's office in New York City and held a vigil to send a message about protecting kids using social media.
Forty-five families from across the country and the United Kingdom came together in the East Village outside the headquarters for the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.
The families shared stories of how their children were harmed by social media -- some were even driven to suicide. Now they are demanding better protections online for kids.
They did not mince words, saying social media giant Meta is prioritizing profit over public safety.
One mother from Connecticut revealed her 11-year-old daughter died by suicide after she says her child became addicted to Instagram and then was groomed by men on another platform.
"She sent out inappropriate pictures because the men were threatening her...the last few months of her life were terrible, just chaos," Tammy Rodriguez said about her daughter Selena.
To see what her daughter was viewing, Rodriguez set up an account, posing as a 12-year-old.
"Within weeks the whole algorithm changed, I would never have received that on my own, just suicide content, self-harm content," Rodriguez said.
The families hand-delivered a letter to Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. More that 10,000 people signed it.
The group also electronically sent the petition to other senior leadership at Meta. They are determined to hold the company accountable for what they call "reckless and negligent business practices."
Another parent from New York said her 15-year-old son died by suicide after falling victim to a sextortion scam on social media.
She says she's been trying to meet with Zuckerberg for more than five years.
The mothers and fathers want Meta to do several things -- including creating an easier, more accessible reporting system.
A spokesperson for Meta released the following statement:
"We know parents are concerned about their teens' having unsafe or inappropriate experiences online. It's why we significantly changed the Instagram experience for teens with Teen Accounts, which were designed to address parents' top concerns. Teen Accounts have built-in protections that limit who can contact teens and the content they see, and 94% of parents say these are helpful. We've also developed safety features to help prevent abuse, like warning teens when they're chatting to someone in another country, and recently worked with Childhelp to launch a first-of-its kind online safety curriculum, helping middle schoolers recognize potential online harm and know where to go for help."
Parents say that reporting system is so critical because when a child is in danger, the ability to reach out and be heard can mean the difference between life and death.
If you are experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises please call or text the new three-digit code at 988. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org.
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