Political Quotes

“Mr. President, on May 4, 2019, 15-year-old Mason Bogard died after trying to mimic a choking challenge he saw on social media. Three days earlier, his parents had found him unconscious in his room with a belt around his neck. There was nothing his doctors could do over that 3-day period to save his life. I am telling Mason's story today, with the permission of his mother, because it is so different from other stories. I have shared a lot of these stories about the dangerous influence that online platforms have on our Nation's children. There is no evidence to suggest Mason was trying to hurt himself. This death was an accident. We know this because after Mason died, his parents found a self- recorded video on his phone that had happened days prior to the accident. It shows him attempting the same viral challenge that killed him. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to speak with Mason's mom Joann about what she is doing to warn other parents about what is happening on these platforms. Even before she lost her son, Joann knew about the dangers that social media could bring into her home. And she did everything in her power to protect her children from it. She used watchdog apps, physically checked their devices, and had candid conversations with the whole family about how dangerous content can be when it is popping up in your news feed.…”