A Special Note for You from the Desk of Donna Rice Hughes
 

Dear Friend,

I am writing with gratitude for you, and the opportunity for EIE to be your voice and advocate in protecting children from online exploitation and abuse. The rise of social media and unfiltered public Wi-Fi has left parents and law enforcement overwhelmed in safeguarding children in the digital world.

Last year, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy stated that social media is the “defining public health challenge of our times,” declaring, “We are in the middle of a national youth mental health crisis...one that we must urgently address.”

• Financial sextortion is one of the fasted growing crimes targeting children

• Online enticement increased more than 300% from 2021 to 2023

• Last year, the CyberTipline received 36.2 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation online containing more than 105 million images, videos, and other files -- an historic high!

• The average age of exposure to prosecutable pornography is age12; more than half of kids said they viewed violent pornography

While EIE's focus is on prevention, it's challenging to put a face on prevention. One of the ways we do this is by sharing the stories of heroes who have fallen prey to online risks and their path to recovery and healing, which often includes their advocacy to educate parents, kids and even lawmakers through their tragedies.

This year, EIE launched a new vehicle to do just that. The"Internet Safety with Donna Rice Hughes” podcast directly addresses a myriad of risks facing children in the digital world. Highlighted below are just a few faces and stories of our podcast guests:

EIE is hard at work as your voice advocating for culture-changing legislation with Congress and state legislatures. America must ramp up efforts to win the war against the multi-billion-dollar child exploitation, trafficking and pornography criminal enterprises. Big Tech must be held responsible and accountable to put the safety of youth over profits. We can’t continue to fight a raging forest fire with a squirt gun!

On September 23, 2024, Enough Is Enough^® sent the bipartisan “2024 Children’s Internet Safety Presidential Pledge” to Vice President Harris and former President Trump for signature. Over 60 supporting organizations and survivor leaders representing millions of Americans joined EIE in calling upon the 2024 presidential candidates, if elected, to adopt the Pledge. I am encouraged the President-elect has publicly spoken about prioritizing the prevention of online child exploitation.

We have an unparalleled opportunity ahead of us to build on our past victories and successes and move forward in 2025 with an urgency to drive this momentum forward – to do whatever it takes to achieve lasting change one child, one home and one community at a time.

Will you join us by investing in our work with your tax-deductible gift to safeguard the innocence and dignity of children in the digital world? Our goal is to raise $250,000 by the end of the year. The good news is we're almost halfway there! Will you help us finish strong? Thank you in advance for leaving a legacy of generosity. Together, we can make a lasting impact for our generation and generations to come.

May you and your loved ones have a wonderful and joy-filled holiday season,