Gov. Mike Braun joined state officials and the parents of Hailey Buzbee Wednesday to ceremonially sign two bills into law.
The legislation aims to protect Indiana children after 17-year-old Buzbee, a Fisher’s teen, was found dead earlier this year.
Hailey reportedly met Tyler Thomas, an Ohio man, online and was eventually taken to that state. She was missing for weeks and was later found dead.
Lawmakers reacted by passing two measures, one to put age and account restrictions on social media and another that creates a special designation under the state’s silver alert system.
Beau Buzbee, Hailey’s father, said those bills are a step in the right direction.
“This isn’t a band-aid bill,” he said. “This is forward movement.”
Still, the Buzbee family wants to see further improvements to the state’s alert system. Advocates have called for a “Pink Alert” that would trigger the state’s alert system if signs of online grooming and other factors were present.
Buzbee was initially classified as a runaway, and neither a Silver Alert nor an Amber Alert was issued in her case.
“We’ve provided several recommendations on how we can continue to improve our alert notifications and response programs,” Beau Buzbee said at the press conference.
Braun agreed there is work to be done. He said moves to improve youth online safety will continue to be a focus during the next legislative session.
“This will be a priority for all of us,” Braun said. “But the responsibility lies most clearly with the companies that sell the media and make money off of it. Fix the algorithms, fix the medium you’re making money off, otherwise we’ll have to keep doing things like this.”
Among the restrictions on social media are a requirement that children 15 and younger have parental consent, and limits on direct messaging capabilities for minor children.
Braun said long-term, the state plans to hold social media companies accountable for keeping Indiana’s children safe while using platforms.
“We need to keep the pressure on the companies that put this stuff out and profit from it,” he said.
Braun urged parents to stay alert and not assume kids aren’t engaging in unsafe online spaces.
“In your own households, don’t assume something may not be happening,” he said. “I think that’s where the starting point is.”
Speaking with reporters following the ceremony, House Speaker Todd Huston (R-Fishers) said lawmakers are already looking at streamlining the state’s alert system.
Lawmakers initially rejected adding another alert designation out of concerns that there would be too many, which may overwhelm people.
“We want to talk to folks about that, we want to talk to law enforcement,” he said. “We want to make something that isn’t just different, it’s better.”
Huston echoed the governor to say the state will be looking at how best to hold social media companies accountable, especially when it comes to protecting kids.
“That’s one of the things everyone across the country is exploring,” he said. “What can be done?”
Contact Government Reporter Benjamin Thorp at bthorp@wfyi.org
