Mothers Against Media Addiction holds rally outside Meta offices in Manhattan
NEW YORK -- A group called Mothers Against Media Addiction held a rally Friday outside Meta's office in Manhattan, calling for big tech to put kids first and stop addictive social media algorithms.
One mother said social media blackmail led to her son's death.
"He wanted to be a DEC officer. He loved to be outside. He was a great friend. My baby," mother Mary Rodee said.
Three years ago, Rodee's son Riley Basford, 15, took his own life after she said he was exploited by a fake Facebook account.
"Criminal sent a fried request to 14 friends in Riley's friend group posing as Megan Miller, this lovely beautiful girl, bikini, in front of a sunset," Rodee said.
Rodee said police later told her that over a six hour period her son was coerced into sending explicit photos, and then was extorted. The fake user asked for thousands of dollars threatening the photos would be shared with friends and family.
"It was my worst nightmare come true when Riley's brother had to call me and tell me that Riley had died by his own hand," Rodee said.
Rodee spoke Friday at a Mothers Against Media Addiction rally outside Meta, the company that owns Facebook, calling for increased social media safety legislation.
"Prolonged exposure to social media is wreaking havoc on children's mental health." State Senator Andrew Gounardes said. "The top public health official in this country, show a distressing link between prolonged social media use and heightened rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and self harm."
Gounardes also put forward two bills, including the SAFE Act, or the Stop Addictive Feeds for Kids Act. If passed, the legislation would prohibit social media platforms from allowing what advocates say are addictive algorithms for children younger than 18 without parental consent.
The New York Child Data Protection Act would also restrict internet companies from collecting data from kids for commercial purpose without consent.
"We have seen the harm that has happened and befallen our children for a decade or more -- unregulated, unprotected," Gounardes said. "The crisis that is affecting our kids is growing and growing by the day."
Gov. Kathy Hochul included both of the bills in her budget and, if passed, they could be implemented as early as April.
As for Rodee's case, she said the FBI tracked the fake account to an overseas user, but U.S. authorities told her with no extradition treaty, they could not make an arrest. She worries the scammers are still targeting teens, and warns parents it can happen fast.
"He said 'See you later mom.' And the next time I saw him, he was in a body bag," Rodee said.
Mothers Against Media Addiction encourage all parents to talk openly about social media dangers with their children, and to hold them close.
CBS New York has reached out to Meta for comment.
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a crisis, the national Suicide and Crisis Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7. Just dial or text 988 or go online to 988lifeline.org.
