Like other young people, 15-year-old Mason Bogard utilized Social Media as a source of pleasure while he made his way through life.
“I was that parent who had all the protection in place. I did everything right. We had those tough conversations about online safety,” says Joann Bogard, his mother.

Mason was the victim of a TikTok craze known as the “choking challenge” in May 2019. a task that incites young viewers to choke themselves in an effort to faint, wake up, upload, and receive “likes” in an effort to fit in with their friends.

According to Bogard, “I am aware of 95 children who have perished from the choking challenge since Mason’s death.” Mason’s mother Joann claims that he was a guardian. She has been further motivated to help those in need by his constant advocacy for doing so.

“I could wallow and I could be sad and feel sorry for myself, or I could do what he would’ve done,” says Bogard.

In honor of Mason, Joann just presented an education bill last year to support online safety instruction in schools, with the assistance of Senator Jim Tomes.
The sources reported that Governor Holcomb signed the “Mason’s Education Act” into Indiana law today while speaking with her. The bill aims to teach young people how to identify hazardous content and how to avoid it, particularly in light of the fact that many schools now provide every student a gadget, like a chromebook.

Every day, social media platforms spread vast volumes of information, and it’s crucial for kids—and even adults—to distinguish between stuff that is verified and authentic and that which is false.
“The teachers will have the tools to teach them because as adults we don’t always know what harms are out there,” says Bogard.

Joann’s journey is just getting started. She is still working to bring people who have lost loved ones justice. Joann and other internet safety advocates are currently working to pass the “kids online safety act,” a federal law. This bill will compel social media corporations to answer for the content that appears on their applications.
It gives Joann a sense of hope. a feeling of accomplishment after trying to guide younger generations through the uncharted territory of social networking.

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