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Show Notes
The fentanyl epidemic is finding its way into our own front yards through our children's access to drug dealers on Snapchat and other social media platforms.
In this episode, you'll hear the story of Sammy Chapman, who was 16 years old when he suffered from fentanyl poisoning from a free pill that a drug dealer dropped off at his house. The drug deal took place on Snapchat, which is quickly becoming known as an "open air drug market for kids."
If you have a teenager (or pre-teen), this episode is a MUST-LISTEN.
This conversation shines a light on the faulty nature of social media products and the harms that our kids are facing. Sammy's Dad, Sam, give us parents several takeaways that could literally save our child's life.
Learn about Sammy's Law, which aims to make social media platforms safer by allowing third-party safety software integration: https://www.socialmediasafety.org/sammys-law/
About Sam Chapman:
Samuel P. Chapman is an accidental activist, a venture capitalist, an author, a producer, a publicist, and the President of the Berman Institute LLC.
He was formerly CEO of Empower Public Relations LLC and President of thw venture capital firm, Parson Capital LLC. He also founded and Chaired the consulting firm, Parson Group LLC, which achieved Inc. Magazine’s top rating as the fastest-growing company in the nation (#1 on the “Inc. #500 List”).
Prior to that he was an investment banker in mergers and acquisitions at Dillon Read & Co and at Lehman Brothers. He wrote the book, The No-Gossip Zone, a No-Nonsense Guide to a Healthy High-Performing Work Environment. He lives in Manhattan Beach, California with his wife Dr. Laura Berman.
On February 7th, 2021 the couple lost their son, Sammy, to fentanyl poisoning via Snapchat. Sam, his father, has been an accidental activist since then, pushing for Sammy's Law HR 5778, prosecuting a lawsuit against Snapchat and producing a documentary about social media harm for children in the era of fentanyl, called Vanish Mode.
He speaks at schools, to law enforcement and lobbies lawmakers for change. He has done over 100 television segments warning parents and children, utilizing his son's death to help others.