BY PAUL MITCHELLNorth Country This Week

CANTON – The mother of a Potsdam teenager who took his life in an online sextortion scam in 2021 traveled to Washington, D.C. to check out a new education campaign called Parents SOS (Parents for Safe Online Spaces).

Mary Rodee, a teacher at Canton Central School, headed to the nation's capital on Tuesday for a Wednesday Senate Judiciary Committee hearing featuring CEOs from major social media platforms, including Meta, TikTok, Discord, and Snap, who addressed their companies' roles in safeguarding children online. 

The main goal of Parents SOS is to raise awareness around the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and really bring home the human-interest framing and highlight the lives of families who have been permanently altered by online harms.

“Social media companies profit off our children at the expense of their wellbeing and safety. We’ve come together to form Parents SOS because we refuse to let any other family experience this devastation. We are empowered by the memories of our beautiful children, turning pain into action,” a statement from Parents SOS says.

Rodee says it’s time to push back.

“I became involved in the Parents SOS campaign through the leading nonprofit for children’s online safety, called Fair Play. With that group, I have traveled to DC previously in an effort to compel lawmakers to put the necessary safeguards on social media giants,” Rodee stated.

Her role on Wednesday was simply to sit and listen to what the Senate Judiciary Committee has to say.

“Tomorrow, my role at the Senate hearings will be to be an observer. Prior to this I was able to submit testimony specific to this exploitation of Riley as well as questions. I would like to be asked by the CEOs. I am anxious to see how they can possibly justify the criminal harms they are allowing to happen to social media users,” she said.

“We are particularly looking to protect children online. However, this is certainly not just something happening to children. Child sexual abuse material drug sales those are illegal, but yet running rampant on these social media platforms with no regulation,” Rodee continued.

She noted the Senate has held 42 tech hearings and still has not instilled regulations.

“My frustration is additionally at our lawmakers, who are not doing their job. Following the Senate hearings tomorrow we will be having a rally at Capitol Hill. Two of my fellow survivor moms will be speaking at the rally. I will not be speaking tomorrow publicly only in individual interviews. On Thursday I will again be on the Hill leading with representatives, as I have done before asking them to please protect children online,” said Rodee.

“It’s become a very frustrating situation for me because I feel like I’m groveling. I can’t believe I have to beg for this level of help. The big tech industry appears to be able to get away with anything. Every time I go to DC I need new parents who have lost their children to these social media harms,” she remarked. 

The family has established the Riley Basford Legacy Fund through the Northern New York Community Foundation. The charitable mission and purpose of the fund is to support youth in their pursuit of safe and meaningful experience throughout their lives and in the community.

The fund supports three important focus areas. A top priority is to provide funding for education,training, and awareness to St. Lawrence County school for programs and projects centered on cyberbullying and cyber safety, anti-bullying and character education.

Rodee and Riley's father, Darren Basford have said the best way to remember Riley is to foster strong relationships with youth and educate all community members about the hazards of social media.

The ParentsSOS website serves as a memorial to the children who lost their lives to online harms, including suicide as a result of relentless cyberbullying or sextortion; accidental death attempting viral challenges; and purchasing lethal drugs over social media:: Alexander Neville, 14; Alex Peiser, 17; Annalee Schott, 18; Becca Schmill, 18; Carson Bride, 16; Coco Konar, 17; David Molak, 16; Devin Norring, 19; Emily Michaela Murillo, 17; Erik Robinson, 12; Ethan Burke Van Lith, 13; Grace McComas, 15; Griffin McGrath, 13; Jack Servi, 16; Mason Bogard, 15; Mason James Edens, 16; Matthew E. Minor, 12; Riley Basford, 15; and Walker Montgomery, 16.