Backpacks placed on the Congressional lawn remind of deaths in schools| Photo: Andressa Anholete/Avaa

About 35 empty backpacks were placed on the lawn in front of the National Congress, this Tuesday (2), with banners calling for the regulation of social networks and the protection of children, on the eve of the vote on the Bill of Fake News, in the plenary of the Chamber of Deputies. Some of the highlighted phrases are: “There is no polarization when it comes to regulation” and “Social networks are doing harm”.

The act is organized by the NGO Avaaz, one of the most used platforms to collect signatures, and refers to a survey that found that 93.7% of respondents believe that social networks are not safe for children and adolescents.

The Avaaz survey also showed that 75% understand that the lack of regulation of social networks has contributed to the recent cases of violence in Brazilian schools. According to the movement, 35 young people have died in attacks since 2012.

The rapporteur for the Fake News PL, Orlando Silva (PCdoB-SP), praised the performance of the act on social networks. “We cannot allow our children to fall victim to the criminal business model that promotes extremism. The time is now! PL 2630 YES!” he wrote.