Attorney General Tong, Sen. Gordon, Rep. Ackert Talk Social Media Safety with Coventry Students

Attorney General William Tong, State Sen. Jeff Gordon, State Rep. Tim Ackert, and Coventry town officials on Feb. 21 participated in a social media forum with 85 of Coventry High School’s Contemporary Issues class students and faculty. Attorney General Tong and the lawmakers discussed the dangers that Big Tech presents. Prior to the forum, which was organized by the Office of the Attorney General, students read details of Attorney General Tong’s recent Meta lawsuit and a separate New York Times article on the dangers of social media.

“I was pleased to join such an engaged group of Coventry High School students, faculty, and Attorney General Tong for this important discussion. It is always beneficial to meet with high school students to listen to their concerns. My intent is not to prevent them from using social media, which can be a useful tool at times. What I do wish to do is to work with my colleagues and educators to find ways to protect young people against the many bad actors that they may encounter while on social media and the internet.

“We’ve seen countless stories of children becoming victims of online fraud, harassment, discrimination, and sexual predators. We must provide protections for children in this digital environment, much like we do in the classroom and elsewhere. Thank you to Attorney General Tong for his work on this important issue and I look forward to working with him,” said Sen. Gordon.