By Aaron Ping

My name is Aaron Ping. I am a father from Washington state, and I am writing because my 16-year-old son, Avery, cannot.

Avery died on Dec. 19, 2024. The drugs that killed him were ordered through Snapchat.

I knew my son. This was not a pattern. This was an impulsive experiment — made easier because so many kids in our area already knew this dealer. He had been selling to middle- and high-school students for years. When he showed up, a line would form. Children as young as sixth grade. 

That kind of visibility creates a dangerous illusion. If everyone knows him, how dangerous can it be?

Here is what I need you to understand about timing
Prior to my son’s death, on Nov. 5, 2024, a detective investigating another drug case obtained a search warrant for records from Snapchat tied to this dealer. Snapchat took 20 days to respond. The detective received those records on Nov. 25. The detective in that investigation told me the records took another week to access because they were sent in encrypted format with no instructions for opening. He had to find an IT expert in the department to figure out how to read them.

Avery died on Dec. 19. 

The dealer’s account stayed active the entire time.

An arrest in November could have been the wake-up call the community we live in desperately needed. It could have shattered the illusion that this was normal, safe, and that everyone did it. Instead, the warrant sat in a queue while a company decided when to respond.

States must catch up to technology
Colorado lawmakers are considering SB26-011, a bill that would require platforms to acknowledge warrants within eight hours and comply within 72 hours.

This is not radical. California passed a similar law last year. Snapchat even outlines an expedited compliance process for California law enforcement on its own website. The infrastructure exists. The capability exists.

The question is why they would choose not to make that standard procedure for all 50 states, knowing the number of children who die, knowing the sex trafficking that takes place on their platform. The answer is without legal requirements, they will continue to prioritize profits over safety.

States need to hold these social media platforms accountable. And states like mine need Colorado to lead.

I am writing from Washington state because we do not yet have this law in place. When Colorado passes SB26-011, it becomes evidence this is achievable, that other states can follow, and the excuses platforms offer do not hold up. Every state that acts makes it harder for companies to claim compliance is too burdensome. Every state that acts brings us closer to a country where a warrant means something, where law enforcement does not have to wait weeks while dealers keep selling to children. 

Colorado has the opportunity to be part of that momentum.

Why I am speaking out
This isn’t about regulating speech or expanding surveillance. It’s about ensuring when a judge issues a warrant, the company holding the evidence should not be allowed to decide how long to wait before turning it over.

Somewhere in Colorado today, there is a warrant sitting unanswered. There is a dealer’s account still active. There is a kid who might make the same impulsive choice my son made — and a wake-up call that might never come.

I am asking you to pass SB26-011 because social media platforms are not above the law, and their inaction can be deadly. I know without a doubt if this bill had been in place when my son decided to experiment with drugs, he would be alive today.

Aaron Ping is a Washington state father, writer and host of the podcast “Superhuman — From Engineered Desire to Engineered Consent.” After losing his 16-year-old son, Avery, to drugs purchased through Snapchat in 2024, he has advocated for stronger child-safety standards and timely compliance with law enforcement warrants.