Mary Rodee tearfully shares the story of her son, Riley Basford, a Potsdam teenage who she lost due to suicide after online sextortion bullying, at the Mothers Against Media Addiction (MAMA) rally in New York City March 22. Photo provided by Rodee....

BY JOSH DAVISNorth Country This Week

Mary Rodee of Canton wants to see the persuasive design and addictive nature of social media curtailed in the interest of kids’ safety.

Rodee is the founder of Parents for Safe Online Spaces and an advocate for the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which was reintroduced in the United States Senate this month.

Rodee’s son Riley Basford committed suicide at 15 after he was exploited by an online predator. She says that one of the few ways she is able to cope with her loss is to advocate for social media reforms to protect children.

Rodee asserts that big tech practices, like those meant to keep viewers engaged are especially harmful to children, and says that provisions in the KOSA like the duty of care component could have prevented her son’s death. She said it’s bad enough that companies use persuasive tactics on adults, calling that “terrible,” but said it is “criminal” to do the same to children.

Rodee argues that society generally agrees to implement safety measures when children are hurt, saying that when “a crib folds up on one baby and you never see that crib again.” She added that unregulated big tech is “so much worse” than a recalled consumer item, and receives very little of the same scrutiny.

The legislation

The Kids Online Safety Act is meant to provide some of that scrutiny, and create “meaningful, enforceable protections for families.”

Rodee says that tech companies could tailor the experience for minors more around safety, saying companies already constantly think about how their product is experienced by consumers. She says parents should “require that they create a safer product, because we know they can.”

Rodee said the primary focus of the KOSA is not on inappropriate content, but remarked that teens can be steered “in three swipes” from suitable entertainment to white supremacist content, and  media depicting eating disorders and self-harm.

Rodee said that some of the most common addictions among adult New Yorkers include gambling, pornography, alcohol, and technology use; and made the distinction that all but the technology are age restricted to protect children.

A culture shift

Rodee says that as our society has adapted to one that has fully adopted technology, parents may have made some mistakes about how they talk to children about tech and have not always been realistic in their expectations.

She says that parents should “update” the way they talk to kids about technology often, understanding that the technology and our relationship to it is still evolving.

Rodee says that a culture shift is also necessary to keep kids safe with technology. She said parents might worry about their children being the only ones without a phone, but asserted that the potential harm is far more worrisome.

Rodee spoke pragmatically, clarifying that it’s unrealistic to think that most parents won’t eventually give their kids phones. “But you don’t have to give them Snapchat” Rodee said, and added that phones should be kept out of kids’ bedrooms.

Rodee knows that technology isn’t going away, so she hopes that safeguards can be put in place to allow the inevitable to take place with greater safety and oversight.

She is hopeful that a societal shift will usher in an era of responsible technology use among younger people. She admitted that it could be very difficult to change the habits of some kids, like current 11 year olds, but establishing a safer culture around technology with kids who are currently five years old could move the needle toward the safer in the future.

Parental participation

Rodee said proactivity is important in online safety, and children shouldn’t have to be exploited for people to advocate for them. “Let’s not even let them get victimized,” Rodee said.

She says that people need to rally behind this issue like MADD did against drunk driving, or how people resisted the draft during the Vietnam War, adding that the reach of technology exceeds those.

Her first vigil at Meta’s headquarters drew about 20 people, the second about 250. And her movement is still growing, she said. “Thousands of parents worldwide are waking up to the grim reality of how perilous Meta’s products can be for their children.”

Rodee recently celebrated a “win” with the Take it Down Act, which prohibits the sharing of intimate visual depictions without permission, and provides for their deletion. Rodee said she was “so happy” with the result, but said “there is more to be done.”

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