LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — An Arkansas mother is speaking out after her 16-year-old son, Mason Edens, took his life, a tragedy she believes was influenced by social media. On the weekend Mason was supposed to graduate from high school, his mother, Jennie Deserio, shared her story, highlighting the role she believes TikTok played in her son’s death.
“There are really, truly no words to describe that pain and that trauma,” Deserio said. Mason was known for his loving nature and infectious laughter. “He was our little firecracker. You always knew when he was in the room.”
Deserio described the devastating moment when her son’s bright future was overshadowed by social media’s influence. “My baby died in my arms, and it’s just, it’s horrific. I mean, you don’t as a mother, you don’t come back from that. The best part of me died that night,” she said.
After Mason’s death, Deserio discovered disturbing content on his phone.
“I could see all the videos, the TikTok videos that he had liked, and they were in order,” Deserio said. “The first one popped up around November the first, and he was searching for inspirational quotes, positive affirmations. He paused on a video that was said positive affirmation, but it was a very depressing, content-filled video,” she said.
Deserio said the algorithm changed to show graphic, profane, and illicit videos romanticizing and encouraging suicide. “As an adult, and watching those videos, I struggled. I can’t imagine how a 16-year-old boy who was feeling vulnerable could have felt,” she said.
Deserio emphasized the unique challenges parents face in the digital age. “I was always paying attention to his social media. I had all parental controls in place, and I was always watching all of the social media,” she said. She criticized the narrative that blames parents for not monitoring their children, calling it a “false narrative” perpetuated by big tech.
Parents for Safe Online Spaces, or Parents SOS, is a group of survivor families advocating for the Kids Online Safety Act. “What a lot of people don’t understand about the Kids Online Safety Act is it doesn’t limit free speech. It doesn’t limit the content. It puts parental controls in place. It puts the strongest safeguards in place for kids,” Deserio said.
The act passed the Senate 91-3 but stalled in the House. “Unfortunately, at the end of 2024, the Kids Online Safety Act stalled out in the House, and Speaker Johnson refused to bring it to the floor for a vote,” Deserio said. However, the act was recently reintroduced by Senate leaders, offering renewed hope.
“Bring the Kids Online Safety Act to the floor. Let Congress vote on it, let our legislators do their jobs, and let them pass meaningful legislation that will protect our children,” Deserio urged.
Despite her loss, Deserio remains hopeful. “I do believe that the parents are going to win. I have to believe that the parents are going to win, because we can’t give up and we’re not going to give up,” she said.
Senators Richard Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn reintroduced the Kids Online Safety Act this past Wednesday, giving parents and children a second chance at protection.
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