LOS ANGELES, Calif. (WZMQ) – Parents who say social media cost their children their lives held a vigil today outside a Los Angeles courthouse.
The vigil took place just days before a landmark social media addiction trial begins.
The defendants include some of the world’s most powerful companies: Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, and Alphabet.
Parents held photos of their children and stood silently for 2,000 seconds–one for each related case filed nationwide.
The trial will focus on 24 bellwether cases, including Marquette father John Demay, whose son Jordan died after falling victim to a sextortion scheme.
“The dangers are sitting in the palm of their hand. This device has access to the world. Are you going to give your 14-year-old daughter, your sons, and your teenage sons access to the planet in the palm of their hands? You have to understand that’s what you’re doing,” said John DeMay, father of sextortion victim Jordan DeMay.
Demay says the big social media companies need to focus more on the safety of children and less on profit.
