“Parents deserve to know what their kids are exposed to online and have the ability to protect them and save lives.”
WASHINGTON – Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) joined Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.) in introducing a bipartisan bill to empower parents to protect their children on social media platforms by providing them the right to know if their children are engaging in dangerous or risky interactions.
Sammy’s Law would require large social media platforms to permit parents to receive safety notifications through FTC-regulated third-party safety providers, giving them the tools to shield their children from harm.
Reps. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) and Debbie Wasserman Shultz (D-Fla.) introduced the companion bill to Sammy’s Law in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“In Ohio and across the country, criminals are using social media to target our children—selling them dangerous drugs and exploiting them through sextortion while trying to bypass parents and other trusted adults. Tragically, teenagers Sammy Chapman from California and James Woods from Ohio are two of many young people who’ve fallen victim to these predators. Parents deserve to know what their kids are exposed to online and have the ability to protect them and save lives. Sammy’s Law would put that authority back where it belongs—with families—and give parents the tools they need to keep their children safe,” said Husted.
“Parents are struggling to protect their kids from the harmful effects of social media, where children are more exposed than ever to cyberbullying, eating disorders, and other online threats to their wellbeing. Sammy’s Law will give parents the choice to be alerted of concerning behaviors on social media, while protecting their personal information. I’m proud to join this bipartisan effort so parents have more resources to supervise their children’s social media use,” said Warner.
“At just 16 years old, Sammy Chapman had his whole life ahead of him when he was approached by a drug dealer on social media who sold him drugs laced with fentanyl—an event which tragically led to his death. Had legislation been in place like Sammy’s Law, which prevents social media companies from blocking third-party safety software for children, Sammy would likely still be with us today. As parents and legislators, it’s our job to protect our children and teens—our most vulnerable—in every way we can. In the age of social media and the challenges that come with it, Sammy’s Law is a critical step towards protecting our children online by ensuring parents have access to the necessary tools to keep their children safe,” said Britt.
“There are sick, evil people who prey on our children from the shadows of social media, selling illicit, even fentanyl-laced, drugs. Tragically, Sammy Chapman was one of those kids who died at just 16 years old, with his entire life ahead of him. Parents have the right to know when their child is engaging in dangerous online activity, and this bill will equip them with the best possible technology to protect and keep their children safe from bad actors. I thank Senator Husted for his support in this effort,” said Carter.
Statements of support:
“If Sammy’s Law had been in place when a drug dealer reached out to our son via social media, he would still be alive. Sammy was poisoned with a lethal dose of fentanyl received from a drug dealer through social media,” said Sam Chapman, father of Sammy Chapman.
“As parents who lost our only son, James, to online exploitation, we understand in the deepest way how devastating it is when systems fail to protect our youth. While our advocacy began in response to online harm, our mission has grown to encompass the overall safety, well-being, and protection of young people in every space they occupy, both online and in their everyday environments. Sammy’s Law represents a meaningful and necessary step forward in prioritizing safety, prevention, and accountability. By empowering local communities to implement life-saving safety measures, this legislation acknowledges a simple but urgent truth: our children deserve to be protected wherever they are—on their devices, in their schools, and in their neighborhoods,” said Tim and Tamia Woods, parents of James Woods.
“The Senate introduction of Sammy’s Law is a major step toward protecting children on social media. Through our work with families and schools nationwide, we have seen that third-party safety software saves young lives. This legislation will help protect children from severe social media-related harms like cyberbullying, sextortion, and drug trafficking while also strengthening privacy protections. We thank Senators Husted and Warner for their bipartisan leadership in advancing this critical, life-saving bill,” said Marc Berkman, CEO of the Organization for Social Media Safety.
“Sammy’s Law would have saved Nate’s life. Nate was attacked over Snapchat, he received a Snapchat message from a classmate telling him ‘To Kill Himself’. If Sammy’s Law was in place at that time, I would have been immediately notified that Nate was in danger. I would have had the opportunity to intervene and protect Nate from further harm and Nate would be here today. Thank you, Senators Husted and Warner, for standing up to protect our children,” said Rose Bronstein, a survivor parent, who lost her son Nate Bronstein due to severe cyberbullying over social media.
Alexander Neville Foundation, Becca Schmill Foundation, Buckets Over Bullying, CADCA, Crime Victims United, Crimestoppers of Houston, D.A.R.E. America, Families Against Fentanyl, JED Foundation, National Center on Sexual Exploitation, National Crime Prevention Council, Organization for Social Media Safety, Parent ProTech, Parents Television and Media Council, Protect Young Eyes, Safe House, SafeProject, Social Media Victims Law Center, Stand for the Silent, The Village Mission and VOID all endorse Sammy’s Law.
James Woods was a 17-year-old senior from Streetsboro, Ohio who took his own life after becoming a victim of “sextortion” through social media. These schemes use social media to target young victims and persuade them to share an explicit photo or video of themselves that is then used to extort them for money.
Sammy’s Law was named after 16-year-old Sammy Chapman who lost his life to fentanyl poisoning. He was approached by a drug dealer through social media, who delivered drugs laced with a lethal dose of opioid fentanyl to his home. Sammy was unaware he was ingesting fentanyl and tragically lost his life. Sammy’s Law was introduced to give parents the tools to protect their children and other family members by:
- Requiring large social media platforms with either 100 million monthly active users or garner $1 billion in gross revenue per year to make real-time application programming interfaces accessible to Federal Trade Commission (FTC)-registered third-party safety software providers.
- Alerting parents when 15 specific instances or phrases arise that indicate eating disorders, suicidal ideation and sexual harassment.
This bill builds on Husted’s work to increase protections for minors on social media platforms.
In January 2026, Husted introduced the bipartisan No Fentanyl on Social Media Act. The bill would direct the FTC to report to Congress on minors’ access to fentanyl through social media, with recommendations to address this growing threat.
In December 2025, Husted joined the Kids Online Safety Act to protect minors’ personal data on online platforms and implement safety tools for parents and minors to target any harmful online content for children.
In September 2025, Husted introduced the Children Harmed by AI Technology (CHAT) Act. The bill would require owners and operators of artificial intelligence companion chatbots to bar minors from accessing sexually explicit content and implement age verification and safety measures to ensure that minors cannot access chatbots without consent from their parents.
Full text of the bill is available here.