Survivor Parents Disappointed by Lack of Parent Voices on Federal Trade Commission Age Verification Workshop

FTC to Address Issue of Age Verification on Social Media Apps on Jan. 28, Panelists Consist of Big Tech Representatives, No Survivor Parents 

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — In light of the impending Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Age Verification workshop being held tomorrow, January 28, Parents for Safe Online Spaces (ParentsSOS), a coalition of more than 21 families who have lost children due to online harms, conveyed their disappointment in the workshop’s panelist selection. Annie McGrath, mother of Griffin “Bubba” McGrath, forever, 13, issued the following statement on ParentsSOS behalf:

“We, survivor parents who have experienced the unthinkable – the death of a child as a result of online harms – appreciate the attention the FTC is paying to the critical topic of age verification. Understanding the age of users on social media apps is an essential tool to protect children online. 

“However, we are disheartened and deeply disappointed by who ended up on the list of participants for those panels at the workshop. There are so many industry representatives included – from Meta, Google, other Big Tech firms, industry associations and more – and yet, not one survivor parent. Which, of course, is a glaring gap. 

“We know better and more intimately than anyone in that room the true costs of the failure of Big Tech companies to protect children, and we have long driven the national conversation about online harms. Survivor parents deserve to be a part of discussions about solutions. Because we also know those solutions are likely to fall far short of meaningful, transformational change without us. 

“We also know that social media companies already have more than enough data to know in almost every case when a user is a minor. It is shameful that the platforms do not use the same data they use to send kids down dangerous rabbit holes and serve them insidious ads to make determinations about who deserves special protections. 

“We urge the FTC to quickly hold additional hearings on this and other online safety topics that include the essential perspective of survivor parents. A safer online world will be nearly impossible to achieve otherwise.” ▪