An Ovid mother whose 12-year-old daughter died by suicide in 2024 was in Lansing Wednesday as Michigan Senate hearings began on a new legislative package aimed at protecting children on social media and holding tech companies accountable.
- An Ovid mother was in Lansing as Michigan Senate hearings began on the Kids Over Clicks legislative package, which aims to protect children on social media.
- Charay Gadd shared the story of her daughter London, who died by suicide at 12 years old, saying dangerous social media content contributed to her death.
- The legislation includes Senate Bills 757 through 760, which would mandate stricter data privacy and safety settings for minors and give parents more control over their children's online accounts.
WATCH: Ovid mom speaks out as social media safety hearings begin
Charay Gadd traveled to the state capital to share the story of her daughter, London, who she believes was exposed to dangerous content on social media that contributed to her death.
"As you can tell London was beautiful," Gadd told me.
Gadd believes the platforms themselves are built in ways that harm children.
"It's by design and this addiction is causing harm. London is a perfect example of the worst of the tragic that can happen," Gadd said.
The legislation, known as Kids Over Clicks by its supporters, includes Senate Bills 757 through 760. The bills are designed to mandate stricter data privacy and safety settings for minors while giving parents more control over their children's online accounts. The package would also seek to make some chatbots that could encourage self-harming behaviors or illegal activities inaccessible to children.
"These social media platforms need to protect our children," Gadd said.
London's story also inspired her sister, Charleigh, to change her college major to social work in hopes of helping protect other families.
"London isn't just a statistic. She had family that cared about her. She had friends that loved her and knew her as onion," Charleigh said.
The Gadd family is one of hundreds involved in a landmark lawsuit over social media's effect on children — the same case where Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stand last month.
Gadd said even parents who believe they are doing everything right should pay attention.
"I took her phone at night and it doesn't help. And me standing here as a grieving mother is proof of that," Gadd said.
"A lot of people pick their battles but unfortunately this one picked me," Gadd said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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