Testimony

Written Testimony in Support of Oregon HB 2251 (Restricting Cellphone Use in Schools)

Mar 2025 🇺🇸 Oregon State Legislature — House Committee on Education

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In written testimony dated March 28, 2025 to the Oregon House Committee on Education, Kristin Bride states her name and role as a social media-reform advocate, recounts that her son Carson died by suicide in 2020 after being sent, by her account, more than a hundred anonymous harassing messages by classmates, and describes her related 2021 testimony that led to Oregon's parent-notification law (Carson's Law). She goes on to support HB 2251, which would direct Oregon school districts to adopt policies restricting student cellphone use during the school day, citing conversations with principals piloting 'bell to bell' phone-free policies who reported less in-school cyberbullying and stronger peer interaction. She resubmitted the same position to the Senate Committee on Education on May 12, 2025. TechKids Foundation includes this as documented state-level testimony connecting her personal account to a specific, still-pending device-policy bill, in association language.

100+ messages, per Bride's testimony

Bride's written testimony states that the last search on Carson's phone before his death was for ways to identify who had sent him over 100 harassing and humiliating anonymous messages.

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CITATION

Bride, Kristin. Written Testimony in Support of HB 2251, Oregon House Committee on Education, March 28, 2025 (resubmitted to the Oregon Senate Committee on Education, May 12, 2025).

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