Grieving Long Island parents offered emotional testimony on Capitol Hill Thursday during a congressional hearing on TikTok.
Dean and Michelle Nasca have filed a lawsuit against TikTok after their 16-year-old son Chase took his own life last year. They say he took his own life after he watched “hours of psychologically disturbing” content on the social media app.
The suit claims Chase didn’t seek out the violent content but was allegedly targeted by the app and flooded with depressing and “suicide-themed” content constantly.
Chase died by suicide after being hit by an MTA train in Islip. The suit says he messaged a friend on Snapchat saying, “I can’t do it anymore.”
Chase’s parents wept as Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Florida) recounted their son’s death while TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was in attendance at the hearing.
“His ‘for you’ page was sadly a window to discover suicide … your technology is literally leading to death,” said Bilirakis.
The hearing came as federal lawmakers are pushing for a ban on TikTok over apparent national security concerns and other issues like harmful content.