Pledge supported by more than 60 organizations and survivors

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The online exploitation and abuse of children has reached pandemic proportions and is one of the greatest public health issues facing youth in America. On September 23, 2024, Enough Is Enough® (EIE) sent the bipartisan "2024 Children's Internet Safety Presidential Pledge"  to Vice President Harris and former President Trump for signature. EIE and our allies are hopeful that both candidates will eagerly support the Pledge.

EIE is joined by Pledge Supporting Organizations and Survivor Leaders representing millions of Americans, calling upon the 2024 presidential candidates, if elected,  to adopt the 2024 Children's Internet Safety Presidential Pledge to defend the innocence and dignity of America's children in the digital world. 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.

"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," said EIE President Donna Rice Hughes. "We can't continue to fight a raging forest fire with a squirt gun.  The 47th President of the United States has both the challenge and opportunity through the presidential appointment process, directives, policies, a robust legislative agenda and the implementation of the Pledge to fight this war on all fronts to make the internet safer for children and families. An entire generation will be lost if online threats to children are not mitigated now."

Supporting Research reveals online child sexual exploitation has reached alarming levels:

• NCMEC received 36.2 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation containing more than 105 million images/videos to its CyberTipline, and reported a 300% increase in online enticement cases since 2021.
• Younger and younger children are being targeted "on an industrial scale" by internet groomers, with a three-fold increase in imagery showing 7–10-year-olds.
• Global financial sextortion is one of fastest growing crimes targeting children, in particular minor-aged boys.
• The Surgeon General's Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health indicated social media could pose a "profound risk of harm" to the mental health and well-being of children, stating it's a "defining public health challenge of our times."
• More than half of children (ages 13-17) said they viewed violent pornography depicting rape, choking, someone in pain.

In summary, the six key Pledge tenets call on each candidate to promise, if elected as President, to:

• Uphold the rule of law by ensuring aggressive enforcement and funding of existing federal laws and advancing sound public policies to prevent the online exploitation and abuse of children;
  
  
• Direct the Surgeon General to undertake investigations to address the public health risks of the online exploitation and abuse of minor children;
  
  
• Consider the creation of a bipartisan Presidential Commission to examine the links between obscene pornography, child sexual abuse material, online exploitation and sex trafficking, and make recommendations to the Administration and Congress;
  
  
• Advance bipartisan legislation requiring internet technology services and platforms to improve safety measures, policies, tools and reporting mechanisms and also promote voluntary efforts;
  
  
• Consider the creation of a White House position of Children's Internet Safety Director to oversee the President's domestic policy on children's internet safety issues, and;
• Support bipartisan Congressional efforts to amend Section #230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996

During the 2016 election cycle, EIE issued the historic bipartisan Children's internet Safety Presidential Pledge signed by then candidate Donald J Trump and supported via letter by Secretary Clinton.

"When the next President of the United States says 'enough is enough' to the internet-enabled  exploitation of our nation's youth, the tide will begin to turn," concluded Ms. Hughes.

About Enough Is Enough
Enough Is Enough® is a national nonpartisan, non-profit organization who has led the fight to make the internet safer for children and families since 1994. EIE's efforts to prevent the internet-enabled exploitation of children incorporate a four-pronged holistic strategy with shared responsibilities between the public, corporate America, government and faith community. Enough Is Enough does not endorse or oppose candidates for office.

Donna Rice Hughes, President and CEO of Enough Is Enough®, is an internationally known internet safety expert, author, speaker, media commentator, producer and host of the Emmy-Award winning PBS Internet Safety series and host of podcast, "Internet Safety, with Donna Rice Hughes". 

Support of The 2024 Children's Internet Safety Presidential Pledge in no way constitutes an endorsement of either presidential candidate or political party. 

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SOURCE Enough Is Enough