Senator Marsha Blackburn said that passing the Kids Online Safety Act would help prevent fentanyl-related deaths by stopping social media platforms from allowing drug sales. Blackburn shared her statement in a Sept. 16 post on X.
"At 17 years old, Vaughn-Thomas from Middle Tennessee unknowingly bought a fentanyl-laced pill likely on Snapchat, and tragically lost his life," said Blackburn. "We need to sign the Kids Online Safety Act into law and stop social media companies from pushing drugs & fentanyl onto our children."
According to the Tennessee Register, David and Kathy Borum’s son, Vaughn-Thomas, passed away due to fentanyl poisoning in 2021. Vaughn-Thomas was a teen struggling with drugs in the summer before his passing and died in his sleep from fentanyl poisoning. His parents say that he was experimenting with pills like Xanax to ease his anxiety.
According to a press release, the Kids Online Safety Act is a bipartisan bill introduced in 2022 by U.S. Senators Blackburn (R-Tenn) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) for the purpose of protecting children online and to "hold Big Tech accountable." The act "provides young people with the tools, safeguards, and transparency they need to protect against online harms," requiring social media platforms to put children’s wellbeing first by creating a safer environment.
According to the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) Social Science and Research Institute, social media platforms are utilized by drug sellers to "promote fentanyl sales and exchange information with buyers for transactions" in order to make it easier for drug users to know who they can buy from. Common platforms for illegal drug sales include "Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Discord, Snapchat, TikTok and Pinterest." Drug sellers use covert strategies to evade law enforcement, such as using code names and symbols, and the anonymity allows buyers and sellers to have more privacy and makes transactions easier.
A report from the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) found that China is the "ultimate geographic source of the fentanyl crisis," under the CCP’s leadership. The Select Committee found that the Chinese government, under the CCP: "directly subsidizes the manufacturing and export of illicit fentanyl materials and other synthetic narcotics through tax rebates"; gave monetary grants to companies openly trafficking the fentanyl and narcotic related materials; holds interest in "several PRC companies tied to drug trafficking"; censors content about domestic drug sales but "leaves export focused narcotics content untouched"; and "fails to prosecute fentanyl and precursor manufacturers."
Blackburn was sworn into the Senate in January 2019, representing Tennessee. She serves on the Deputy Whip Team and is a member of several committees including Finance; Commerce, Science & Transportation; Veterans Affairs; Judiciary; as well as serving as Ranking Member on both Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Data Security; and Subcommittee on Human Rights and Law.
