April 4, 2024

March Roundup: See How We're Working to Make the Internet Safer for Children and Families!
 
Special Announcement:
Donna's hour-long interview with Dr. David Anderson on "RealTalk" (4/2/24) featured topics including the many dangers kids face online today and EIE's efforts to make the internet safer for children and families. She also shared important statistics to know for National Child Abuse Prevention Month (April), EIE's nationwide public awareness campaigns, and our legislative efforts to help protect kids online.
Enough Is Enough® (EIE) is maximizing its public education and advocacy efforts to protect children and families on the internet. Here are just a few of EIE's recent highlights!
Public Awareness & Education
Webinar Released: "Betrayal Trauma"
Dr. Jill Manning, licensed family and marriage therapist, joins Enough Is Enough®'s President and CEO Donna Rice Hughes, to discuss the impact of betrayal trauma in relation to the online exploitation of children, emphasizing how children's experiences of sexual abuse and exploitation, often by someone they trust, can result in deep psychological distress and a sense of betrayal.
Watch the webinar here.
Communications Campaign Themes
March highlights included a special focus on "March Madness" and the madness that takes place off the courts and in the digital world where children spend much of their time.
Legislative Priorities
Parents and Lawmakers Say "Enough Is Enough®!"
  • Florida Governor Ron Desantis signed HB3 in Florida barring accounts for children under 14 and requiring the platforms to obtain a parent’s permission before giving accounts to 14- and 15-year-olds.
  • The Walker Montgomery Protecting Children Online Act (HB 1126) gives parents some extra tools for keeping their children safe online. This bill honors the life and death of Walker Montgomery, a Mississippi teen who lost his life to suicide after falling victim to a social media scam. The bill passed the MS Senate Tuesday and is set to go into effect 7/1/24.
  • Pornhub has blocked access to its content in Texas in protest of the state’s age verification requirement. This comes after a federal court upheld House Bill 1181. Texas is now the sixth state where Pornhub has removed access to its site (the others are UT, AR, VA, MT, NC).
  • The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to approve a bipartisan bill that would require ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, to sell the social media app or face a ban on all U.S. devices.
Congressional Action to "Rein In Big Tech"
Historically, the technology industry has promised to self-regulate and prioritize child safety but has failed miserably. Parents cannot safeguard their vulnerable children alone and need Big Tech and the government to do their part. A legislative push to hold tech giants accountable for child safety continues to gain momentum on Capitol Hill. EIE is continuing to work with the Senate and its coalition partners to pass a package of bipartisan Online Child Protection Bills - but we need your voice as we advocate for their passage!
We've Made it Easy to Take Action Now!
Contact Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) today. Copy and paste the content below (or share by phone) and send this critical message to Senator Schumer! Every voice is needed. Every voice matters!
Contact by phone: (202) 224-6542
Senator Schumer, it's time for the online exploitation of children to end and demand Big Tech Accountability! The EARN It Act, Kids Online Safety Act, STOP CSAM Act, Report Act and Project Safe Childhood Act each address different aspects of the crime of online child sexual exploitation. Together these bills will strengthen protections and remedies for survivors, improve reporting to NCMEC’s CyberTipline and increase law enforcement’s ability to investigate these crimes. 
I join Enough Is Enough® and hundreds of organizations across the country in advocating for these bipartisan bills, and ask they be passed by the Senate and be addressed by the House in 2024. Thank you for your crucial support to the Kids Online Safety Act earlier this year. It's time for Congress to stand up to the multi-billion dollar Big Tech industry and demand accountability for harms caused to children through their platforms and products by passing all needed legislation to keep our children safe in the digital world!
Your gift to Enough Is Enough® matters. Here's Why:
Congressional testimony, research and first-hand accounts of exploitation leave no room to dispute social media platforms and products are not designed with children's safety in mind. Along with contributing to mental health problems and other risks, offenders are growing bolder on these platforms, resulting in one of the biggest challenges ever faced. EIE programs tackle these issues head-on, reducing online exploitation and equipping and challenging each sector with the information and tools they need to prevent it. EIE continues to educate and equip parents and caretakers nationally with the information, tools and resources needed to protect their children online. But we can't do this on our own and need you by our side.
 
Will you join Enough Is Enough® and help us Make the Internet Safer for Children and Families? We are grateful for any level of support. Every dollar matters!