Sammy’s Law: Monitoring or Protecting?

Anya Dalal

Sammy’s Law (HR 5778) is a bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Congress to tackle one of the most urgent challenges of the digital age: how to keep children safe online without undermining their privacy. The legislation would require major social media platforms to make their systems compatible with FTC-approved third-party monitoring tools. These tools could alert parents if their children are exposed to high-risk content such as drugs, firearms, self-harm, sexual exploitation, or cyberbullying.

The bill is named after 16-year-old Sammy Chapman, who died from fentanyl poisoning after purchasing a pill through Snapchat. His story galvanized lawmakers and advocates, highlighting the risks that predators, drug dealers, and harmful influencers pose to teens in online spaces. 

Supporters argue that parents deserve more tools to protect their children, especially in an environment where dangers can reach them through a device in their pocket. Sammy’s Law, however, has sparked intense debate. Critics warn that mandatory monitoring could erode adolescents’ privacy and autonomy. For LGBTQ+ youth or those in unsupportive households, such monitoring could even place them at greater risk. There are also questions about data security; outsourcing sensitive alerts to third-party vendors raises the specter of misuse, leaks, or expanded surveillance. While the bill attempts to narrow its scope to avoid regulating political or identity-related content, skepticism remains about who decides what qualifies as “harmful.”

Practical implementation poses another challenge. Platforms would need to integrate monitoring systems at scale, adding cost and complexity. This also risks conflicts with encryption policies, potentially weakening privacy protections for all users.

Sammy’s Law embodies a broader tension in American parenting and policymaking. Parents want more control over their children’s online lives, but adolescents need space to develop independence, explore identities, and build connections. The bill asks whether constant oversight is the right path, or whether the country should invest more in digital literacy and mental health support instead.

While Sammy’s Law has not yet been enacted, it is gaining bipartisan traction as a narrower, potentially more feasible alternative to sweeping proposals like the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Regardless of its fate, the bill has already reshaped the conversation in Washington. It acknowledges that online harms are not theoretical and signals that lawmakers may finally be ready to act on youth safety in the digital era.

Image credit: Los Angeles Times / Associated Press