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Show Notes
In this conversation, parent survivor Maurine Molak shares the story of her son David, who experienced relentless cyberbullying which led to his tragic suicide. The cyberbullying occurred mainly on Instagram and gaming chats, and went unreported by both David and hundreds of observers.
Cyberbullying can have a devastating impact on kids and teens, leading to anxiety, depression and even suicide. Parents need to be educated on the signs and how to react when our own children are dealing with this issue. Maurine gives insight on all of the above.
For parents who would like to learn more about the Kids Online Safety Act and online safety advocacy in general, you can visit https://www.parentssos.org.
To learn more about Maurine's organization David's Legacy Foundation, visit: https://www.davidslegacy.org
More about Maureen:
Maurine Molak co-founded David’s Legacy Foundation in 2016 after her 16-year-old son, David, died by suicide after experiencing months of relentless and threatening cyberbullying on Instagram and GroupMe. The year prior to his death, David was struggling with an addiction to social media and online gaming which caused depression and anxiety.
After David’s death, Maurine and her family worked with Texas legislators to pass “David’s Law” which provided comprehensive tools to address cyberbullying through the Education, Civil and Criminal codes. She continued her state level advocacy with successful passage of suicide prevention, digital citizenship requirements in Texas schools, and robust bullying and cyberbullying prevention through “David’s Law 2.0”. In 2023 Maurine advocated in Texas for social media reform which led to the successful passage of HB 18-SCOPE bill. Maurine’s current advocacy efforts are on The Hill where she is advocating for federal social media reform through the Kid’s Online Safety Act (KOSA).
Maurine is a certified digital wellness educator, a member of the Texas Center for Student Supports Advisory Group, and a member of the Online Harms Prevention Workgroup through Screentime Action Network at Fairplay. Maurine co-founded ParentsSOS, an educational initiative of parents for parents who are advocating for safe online spaces for minors.