Kids Are Dying: Enough Is Enough Says Congress Must Pass 'Kids Online Safety Act' As Big Tech's Platforms Exacerbating Exploitation of Children Online

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Enough Is Enough (EIE) is calling on Congress to prioritize the prevention of the online exploitation of children and teens by passing the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), as a deafening number of children are being significantly harmed, and even dying, due to risks associated with online platforms. The bipartisan-supported KOSA will make explicit a legal "duty of care" obligation to prevent harms to minors, require the strongest safety settings for youth and establish a transparency standard for data collection.

"One of the greatest public health issues facing the youngest generations in America is the online exploitation and abuse of children. A safer Internet is urgently needed, as evidenced by Instagram parental controls that are 'ineffective or nonexistent,' a lawsuit against Roblox for endangering children, and constant news reports about predators sextorting children through social media platforms - resulting in cases of suicide. Time is of the essence for Congress to pass the Kids Online Safety Act to better protect children and ensure that Big Tech is held accountable," said Donna Rice Hughes, President and CEO, Enough Is Enough.

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. The FBI has warned that global financial sextortion is one of fastest growing crimes targeting children, in particular minor-aged boys. Children are dying because of "choking challenges" and other dangerous trends they see on social media.

"Parents often have a false sense of security, thinking these things can't possibly happen to their children. The reality is far different, as in 2024, NCMEC received 20.5 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation containing more than 62.9 million images/videos, and reported a 192% increase in online enticement cases since 2023. AI is moving at lightning speed which will only escalate the harm to children unless Congress steps in to harness AI for good and mitigate risks," said Hughes.

KOSA has been endorsed by Microsoft, Snapchat, X (formerly Twitter), American Academy of Pediatrics, Mental Health America, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Federation of Teachers, all among the over 200 national, state, and local organizations supporting this bipartisan bill. In 2024, the U.S. Senate passed KOSA 91-3.

"KOSA sets up a much-needed baseline of protection for children online, and a precedent for other laws to build upon. Years of feedback and honing have gone into refining KOSA, and the momentum and urgency for KOSA has grown. The reality is that KOSA advocates are up against Big Tech's $90 million+ lobbying money and the industry's $11 billion ad revenue targeting minors," said Hughes.

"Big Tech companies historically do too little too late, after lives are destroyed or lost. We have the tools, the technology, and the ability to make the internet safer for our children. Congress must pass the Kids Online Safety Act, an offensive solution to help unburden parents with the sole responsibility to protect their children, by requiring platforms to effectively #FlipTheSwitch and implement safety by design and default safety settings. An entire generation will be lost if online threats to children are not mitigated now," Hughes added.

EIE's "Flip the Switch" campaign calls for device manufacturers, WiFi providers, social media and gaming platforms to implement "safer by design" technologies by turning parental controls from the historic industry standard of "OFF" to "ON."

EIE has released new navigable safety guides for online games, smartphones, and social media platforms.

Enough Is Enough®  is a national non-partisan, non-profit organization who has led the fight to make the Internet safer for children and families since 1994. EIE's efforts are focused on combating internet p*rnography, child sexual abuse material, sexual predation, sex trafficking and cyberbullying by incorporating a four-pronged prevention strategy with shared responsibilities between the public, corporate America, government and faith community.

SOURCE Enough Is Enough