I think that is what surprises me the most when I look back. Not that I became addicted. Not that it negatively impacted my mental health. It isn’t even that I thought the people online actually cared about me. It is that I was expected to make that decision in the first place.

I don’t blame my parents. They had rules and set time limits. We had discussions about what I could download. No social media. But they said yes to Pinterest because they thought it was a safe choice.

It turns out it wasn’t. The reality is there is no “safe” app. Even apps that seem harmless are built to keep you scrolling, watching, gaming, and posting. They are designed by billion-dollar companies to capture your attention and not let go. No matter how many rules my parents put in place I was still the one to click “I accept.” I was the one entering those online spaces.

That summer I spent more and more time on Pinterest. At first, it was just a fun thing to do but then I found all the same addictive features and I figured out how to get around the time limits on my phone. Minutes turned to hours, then to days. I didn’t want to leave my room. The things I had always loved like drawing and hanging out with friends were not as fun as they once were. My phone became my whole world.

Soon, scrolling wasn’t enough. I started posting my own drawings and people liked them. I started posting videos of myself, even though my parents had rules against that. I talked to people I had never met and shared things I never should have. I believed those people cared about me. I knew I was not making good decisions, but every “like” made me feel accepted.

The more validation I found online the more I needed. I began struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts. The place I turned to for acceptance became the place that nearly destroyed me. I finally told my parents. They permanently took away my smart phone and got me help.

At first, it was hard to live without the validation but the longer I went without my phone the more I realized that everything online was fake. A turning point for me was when I was performing a solo at a school concert. When I was done singing, I looked into the audience. My parents and my choir teacher were smiling. My classmates were clapping. Everyone in that room cared about me because I was Liddy. They knew I wasn’t perfect and they loved me anyway. That was real. I promised myself I would never go back to social media.

As I recovered, I started noticing my friends struggling with the same things I had. That’s why I began sharing my story. When I learned about the App Store Accountability Act, it just made sense. Children are not capable of consent and the ASAA ensures parents are given accurate app ratings and are the ones clicking “I agree.” If this law had been in place my parents probably would have said no to Pinterest, sparing me from the harm I suffered. Think how many more children could be saved! Remember, I am one of the fortunate ones who are still here.

Utah was the first state to pass the App Store Accountability Act. Texas passed it soon after. No surprise, Apple and Google sued to stop it. But just recently something amazing happened. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to block Texas from enforcing the App Store Accountability Act while the legal challenge continues.

Now Congress has the opportunity to build on that momentum. Several online kids’ safety bills are seeing legislative activity and there is still a possibility that the federal version of the App Store Accountability Act could be one of them. After the Supreme Court decision this should be a no brainer, but big tech is doing everything they can to stop the ASAA from moving. Why? Because it actually works. It is the only bill that covers every app and puts parents back in control.

As children we need the senate to act, to give us hope. Hope that no child will have to go through what I did. Hope that someday soon we will all look back and wonder why anyone ever expected children to sign these contracts in the first place.

Liddy Johnson is 17 and a recent graduate from Northridge High School. She works as a CNA and serves as the Youth Ambassador for the Child First Policy Center.