Who… Muna Heaven, legal counsel for the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NYSPCC)

The buzz… Heaven was part of the Keep NY Kids Safe Online Coalition that advocated for the passage of the SAFE for Kids Act and the NY Child Data Protection Act. These two landmark pieces of legislation, tailored to restrict the addictive social media algorithms and the commodification of the personal information of minors received overwhelming bipartisan support in the NY Senate and Assembly.

She is… a former Apprentice contestant, United States-based attorney, and daughter of Mandeville businessman Trevor Heaven and the late Fay Heaven. Her participation on the coalition was in both her personal capacity as a mother and her professional capacity as a child welfare litigator. Heaven pressed legislators to recognise that the exploitation of children has burgeoned from the physical to the digital realities negatively impacting their mental health.

The more… robust support came from Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, NY Attorney General Leticia James and NY Governor Kathy Hochul.

As a single mother who has borne witness to the gamut of child abuse and neglect cases, these issues are important to her. The problem with social media is that it provides access to platforms that are actively seeking to exploit children in plain sight. The statistics of addiction, depression, social dysfunction and sexploitation that youth face today are staggering. For her own daughter, this and generations to come, Heaven believes that action is imperative. In addition, parents should make a conscious effort to engage in device-free activities and have clear boundaries for cellphone use. Turning away from the issue is not helpful to anyone.

Last words...“We cannot opt out of child protection,” says Heaven. “The obvious addiction to social media in children of all ages and backgrounds is clear, as is the detriment that follows suit. A problem so dire in depth and magnitude that legislative intervention to support parents and children should be global, but we have to start somewhere.”

Heaven hopes that parents, schools, tech companies and the legislature will band together to make informed and collaborative decisions for the betterment of children.