This is an extremely personal issue for my family and me. My 9-year-old sister was targeted by a pedophile who is over 30 years old on Snapchat. This horrifying experience has caused us to realize that current laws are insufficiently punishing those guilty of perpetrating such dreadful acts against children.

Unfortunately, experiences like ours are far too common. According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, approximately 15 million of archived child sexual exploitation reports came directly from popular apps and file sharing services in 2020 alone. This highlights the severity of the problem and the urgent need for change.

We call for reinforced laws and regulations that will hand down harsher punishments for those convicted of pedophilia. The long-lasting psychological harm these criminals inflict upon children requires a response commensurate with the offense.

The anonymity provided by online platforms should not protect those who abuse it. Tech companies also need to increase their efforts to safeguard young users and cooperate with law enforcement agencies to help track and remove potential predators from their platforms.

With your signature, we can apply the requisite pressure on lawmakers and large tech companies to ensure that no child has to experience what our family has been going through. Please, sign the petition.