PRESS STATEMENT: EIE Says Congress Must Protect Kids Online in 2026
 

““The pandemic of online child exploitation has been exploding exponentially over the past decade. The truth is that kids are dying, as they are intentionally exposed to prowling predators, greedy sextortionists, extreme pornography, and Big tech’s addictive algorithms any time they are online. And yet Congress has not passed foundational commonsense protections that have been pushed by both the bi-partisan Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees for several years now,” said Donna Rice Hughes, President and CEO, Enough Is Enough^®.

“We urgently call on Congressional leaders to prioritize passage of the Senate version of the Kids Online Safety Act and the Sunset Section 230 Act to repeal CDA Section 230 that has given Big Tech legal immunity from being held accountable for online harms,” she said.

In a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last month, there was bipartisan frustration at the lack of progress on online child safety legislation.

“It is astounding to me that there are laws in the physical space that protect children. You cannot endanger a child. You can’t sell them alcohol. You can’t sell them tobacco. You cannot expose them to pornography. But in the virtual space, our children are vulnerable 24/7, 365,” said Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).

“We want a law. We don’t just want speeches,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

Hughes says that Congress should pass the Senate version of the Kids Online Safety Act immediately, which includes the Duty of Care provision, providing stronger protections than the House version.

“Australia’s recent passage of a law to restrict social media for youth 16 and younger demonstrates it is necessary for governments to take a proactive stick approach to protect children from harms occurring on social media platforms as opposed to continuing to rely on the decades-old lie that the carrot approach of voluntary industry efforts to prioritize child safety over profits will actually happen. The historic reality is the only time Big Tech implements kids' online safety measures is when a child dies, lawsuits are brought, or lawmakers act. We hope that the courageous action by the Australian government will wake up Big Tech companies and incentivize Congress to pass the Kids Online Safety Act,” Hughes said.

“Preventing the online exploitation and abuse of children is a unifying non-partisan issue that has widespread bipartisan support at both the federal and state level of governments. Big Tech must be held responsible and accountable to put the safety of youth over profits. Now is the time for Congress to advance and secure online child protection solutions,” Hughes concluded.

In 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received 20.5 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation containing more than 62.9 million images/videos of children as young as infants and toddlers to its CyberTipline, and reported a 192% increase in online enticement cases since 2023. Another disturbing trend is that NCMEC’s CyberTipline received more than 1,300 reports with a nexus to a violent online group – a more than 200% increase since 2023.

In 2024, the CyberTipline also saw a 1,325% increase in reports involving Generative AI, going from 4,700 in 2023 to 67,000 reports in 2024. This technology can be used to create or alter images, provide guidelines for how to groom or abuse children or even simulate the experience of an explicit chat with a child.