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Show Notes
Today I'm joined by attorney Laura Marquez-Garrett to review the latest series of events in the world of Snapchat. Snap rolled out new "safety features," but will these features really protect children from being contacted by strangers on Snapchat? The short answer is no, but there is much more harm lurking within Snapchat than meets the eye.
Join Laura and I as we take parents through the app that has fooled us all; an addictive torture den that masquerades itself as a "whimsical candy castle" for kids. In summary, Snapchat will never, ever prioritize our child's' safety over profits. They must be forced to through lawsuits and legislation.
Here's where you can help protect children...
Contact your state Senators and member in the House of Representatives and ask them to pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). This single bill will save countless lives.
Read the latest Rolling Stone article about how Snapchat is Fueling a Teen Opioid Crisis.
Find out about the work at Social Media Victims Law Center.
More about Laura:
Laura Marquez-Garrett is a 2002 Harvard Law School graduate and spent the first twenty-years of her career in Big Law, where she oversaw complex litigation matters and specialized in electronic evidence and forensic investigation. In January of 2022, Laura met (SMVLC) founder, Matthew Bergman, and watched the Netflix documentary, Social Dilemma. The following month, she left her predominantly defense-oriented practice to join SMVLC to contribute to the Center’s mission of change and holding social media companies accountable for the harms they are causing to children and families. Since then, Laura has participated in the filing of more than 100 complaints against social media companies in state and federal courts across the country. She filed an Amicus brief in Netchoice v. Bonta on behalf of Fairplay and several other civil society organizations, and in support of California’s Age-Appropriate Design Code (CADC); serves as a Discovery Steering Committee co-lead in the California Judicial Counsel Coordinated Proceedings (JCCP No. 5255); has appeared on podcasts, such as Your Undivided Attention, and other forms of media, such as the released documentary titled “Mark, What’s the Plan,” about social media harms and related issues; addressed the House Energy & Commerce Committee at a Roundtable on the Dangers of Big Tech and the Fentanyl Poisoning Crisis; authored an Op-Ed in the Los Angeles Blade in support of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA); has spoken on panels, met with hundreds of children and families, and is otherwise actively involved in efforts across the globe to force change and hold social media companies accountable for the harms they cause as a matter of platform design.