After son’s suicide, Lincoln Park couple push measure for greater scrutiny of social media use

Rose and Rob Bronstein were blindsided by their 15-year-old son Nate’s suicide in early 2022.⁠ ⁠The Bronsteins say Nate was a funny, athletic and well-liked kid. What they didn’t know, they said, is that in the weeks leading up to his death, Nate was being cyberbullied and harassed by Latin School of Chicago students on the social media platform Snapchat.⁠ ⁠ They believe a bill under consideration this spring by Illinois legislators could have saved his life.⁠

The Let Parents Choose Protection Act is also referred to as Sammy’s Law after 16-year-old Sammy Chapman, who died from a fentanyl overdose in his California home last year after taking drugs he found advertised on Snapchat. If passed, the bill would prohibit popular social media platforms such as Snapchat from blocking outside safety software that detect and notify parents of potential threats including substance abuse and suicide.⁠ ⁠

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Photo 1: Rose and Robert Bronstein at home in Chicago with a photo of their son Nate on April 2, 2024. ⁠ ⁠

Photo 2: Rose Bronstein, holds a photo of her son, Nate.⁠ ⁠

📝 Olivia Stevens / Chicago Tribune⁠
📷️ Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune

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