Social media design is important
I believe that if it weren’t for the risky design of social media platforms, my son AJ would probably still be here. He died in 2022 at the age of 16 after taking a pill sold to him by an adult he encountered on Snapchat — a pill he didn’t know contained fentanyl. Tragedies like our family’s show why Legislative Bill 504, the Age-Appropriate Online Design Code Act, is so important (“Nebraska lawmakers signal support for youth social media ban,” 2/8/25).
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AJ’s encounter with drugs on Snapchat wasn’t an accident; it was the result of design, as Snapchat’s algorithm actively pushed drug-related content and connections. These platforms are intentionally designed to keep children on screens, track their activity, and monetize their data — all to maximize profits, regardless of the cost to Nebraska kids and families.
That’s why Nebraska’s design-focused social media bill is so critical. Parent advocates are encouraged that it passed committee and first reading unanimously, despite intense lobbying from major social media companies that sent representatives from D.C. to testify against local advocates like us.
It’s our lawmakers’ responsibility to ensure basic consumer protections for the products Nebraskans use every day — including social media. I commend State Sen. Carolyn Bosn and Gov. Jim Pillen for prioritizing this issue and urge legislators to pass this bill into law. Our kids deserve a safer online world. I encourage anyone who is concerned about this issue to contact their senator in support.
Adam Wiblishouser, Omaha
A big symbol
Jim and Kathy Morley’s letter, “Who needs a ‘Colossus?’” (Pulse, March 2) correctly points out some of the more prominent things for which Omahans can be proud and for which we have a reputation. However, this does not negate the value as a symbol pointed out by Kevin Penrod’s Midlands Voices column, “What Omaha needs — An over-the-top statue that inspires awe, draws people in” (Feb. 23).
I was a high school student living in St. Louis County when the Gateway Arch was built in St. Louis. Many considered it a wasteful and purposeless boondoggle and termed it “the pot-handle.”
I remember well Mr. Schneider, our World Civilizations teacher’s response. Young cultures with a positive view and commitment to the future build big symbols and do great things, he told us.
Mr. Penrod listed several such symbols that would make Mr. Schneider’s point. I believe many Omahans are justifiably proud of our city and enthusiastic about our future.
A “big” symbol, whatever the details of its form, can contribute, literally, to this vision.
Stephen Rennard, Omaha
Red Cross month
When Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross in 1881 at age 59, she had already spent a lifetime caring for people — whether it was nursing her injured brother at 11 years old, securing public education for children, aiding wounded soldiers on Civil War battlefields, or delivering civilian relief during the Franco-Prussian War in Europe.
Yet Clara’s intense desire to be useful and help others continued to shine, powering her visionary leadership that defied her era’s social norms for women. As she once put it: “You must never think of anything but the need and how to meet it.”
Today, more than 140 years after Clara laid the groundwork for the lifesaving Red Cross mission in the U.S., our neighbors are advancing her extraordinary legacy of preventing and alleviating human suffering when help can’t wait.
This March, we are proud to honor our local heroes during our annual Red Cross Month celebration, which first started with a presidential proclamation over 80 years ago. If you’re looking for a way to give back, consider joining these neighbors by visiting redcross.org to volunteer, make a financial donation, schedule a time to give blood or platelets, or take a class to learn lifesaving skills.
Financial gifts made on March 26 will be part of our Giving Day campaign to aid families affected by disasters big and small across the country.
In addition, the Red Cross is expanding its health offerings to include free A1C testing (commonly used to screen for pre-diabetes and diabetes) on successful blood, platelet and plasma donations March 1-31. Visit RedCrossBlood.org/March for full details.
I hope you’ll take part in our Red Cross Month activities this March. As Clara — and the generations that followed her — have shown us, we bring out the best of humanity when we come together to care for one another.
James Boles, Omaha
Board Chair
American Red Cross of Omaha-Council Bluffs & SW Iowa
