What You Should Know

For many years, non-profits in the child protection space have been working collaboratively to drive legislation that protects children from predators, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and sex trafficking. More and more, this illegal activity is facilitated across online, on-device, social media platforms, collectively known as Big Tech. On January 31st, 2022, the EARN IT Act was reintroduced by Senators Blumenthal and Graham and we want it to pass in Congress.

Why You Should Care

Parents and children are having a moment. The tipping point was created by former Facebook employee Frances Haugen's testimony at the Senate subcommittee hearing in October 2021. Other Big Tech players such as YouTube, Snapchat & TikTok were also called to testify regarding child protection across their platforms. Let's be clear: many of us like social media and understand that it can be positive (we are currently using it to reach people and create this movement!). But with great power comes great responsibility. Simply put: Big Tech is not doing enough to protect children online. The most successful companies of this century are worth billions of dollars and not voluntarily spending enough money protecting children. Since Big Tech isn't doing the job, this movement demands that our government step in for the people of this country and regulate against child exploitation.

What's Happening Now

The EARN IT Act has been reintroduced to the Senate as they have factored in insights from parents across the U.S. and reviewed previous responses from Big Tech players like YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram regarding their lack of child protection across their platforms. The Earn It Act (Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act) is sponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal and Lindsey Graham, and it is designed to hold Big Tech companies liable for facilitating or profiting from child sexual abuse material (CSAM) being distributed on their platforms.

According to Tania Haigh, founder of the KIDS TOO Movement and co-founder of Parents Against Child Sex Abuse (P.A.X.A.), "We are ringing alarm bells to protect children, both in online and offline environments. For the last two decades, the onus of child safety has been put solely on parents by social media platforms.  We can't do it alone. The Earn It Act is one measure that is designed to get these billion-dollar tech companies to start helping parents and stop protecting predators."

We Want Our Parent Voices Heard: Please Sign the Petition

The Earn Act includes the following:

It creates accountability with the CDA Section 230 being amended to carve out federal and state CSAM laws.

• Minor-survivors and their parents will be able to hold tech companies accountable for the distribution of child sexual abuse material.
• It establishes a new National Commission on Online Child Sexual Exploitation Prevention. Technology changes so rapidly, so this commission will work to ensure that as tech evolves that it will still have child protection safety measures in place.
• It updates Federal Statutes with the language "child sexual abuse material" replacing "child pornography."
• This strengthens the CyberTipline and allows companies to take further steps to improve detection and response to CSAM.

About The KIDS TOO Movement

KIDS TOO, driven by Parents Against Child Sex Abuse (P.A.X.A.), is a movement about child protection, not just sexual abuse, from all online and offline exploitation. KIDS TOO serves as a catalyst to galvanize parents to speak up and demand that Big Tech do more to protect children.