As America approaches its 250th birthday, we have an opportunity to reset the national conversation about child safety online for the better. This begins by returning to the principles that have guided every successful child-protection effort in our history: the rule of law, strong partnerships, and empowered families.
Unfortunately, the conversation on protecting children online has drifted. A growing movement now treats child protection as a branding exercise built on corporate blame and highly staged press conferences. Not the built-in prosecuting criminals.
This approach makes as much sense as Mothers Against Drunk Driving suing Ford and General Motors for vehicular homicides. That would enable the drunk drivers to kill more children.
Real protection is rooted in the rule of law, which demands that accountability for exploitation lie with the perpetrator. Child sexual exploitation is a felony and one of the most evil acts imaginable. Stopping it requires investigators, forensic analysts, and prosecutors who can root out predators, and a justice system that puts them away for good. Whether the crime is perpetrated in person or online, the objective is the same: find them, arrest them, and ensure they cannot hurt another child.
Instead, Washington and some state governments have embraced political theater, often choreographed by well-funded groups with no substantial experience in criminal investigation or child protection. Proposals like the Kids Online Safety Act allow officials to say they “did something” without committing to the sustained appropriations required to staff cybercrime units, expand forensic labs, or build the cross-border capacity needed to pursue organized exploitation networks.
Partnerships are another key principle that has become even more important as crime has gone digital. Technology companies are mandated reporters, and their cyber-tip reports serve as the 911 system for digital crime. In 2024, online companies submitted over 20 million reports to law enforcement. About 56,000 per day. However, understaffed cybercrime units cannot handle this volume. We need real legislative solutions and enduring federal appropriations to ensure these tips lead to action.
Parents and caregivers also remain the frontline defenders of children. Every state has historically recognized that parents and caregivers have a legal and moral duty to supervise and protect minors. Families deserve support — education, resources, and clear information — so they can navigate technology with confidence. Good policy considers parents’ roles rather than substituting for them.
Legislators cannot replace parents. Turning to the government to manage a child’s device usage undermines parental authority and affirms that only the government has jurisdiction over the nation’s children and their welfare.
The government does have an important role in supporting parents. The Department of Homeland Security and the Know2Protect campaign help raise awareness of online child sexual abuse and exploitation while also providing the resources parents need to act.
Landmark legislation such as the Invest in Child Safety Act, awaiting reintroduction in Congress, would expand federal and state investigative capacity, strengthen the Internet Crimes Against Children task forces, provide desperately needed digital-forensics resources, and improve coordination across agencies. That is how we must respond to organized exploitation. You can measure success in arrests and convictions, not headlines.
As we enter an important year in our nation’s history, we must remember how this country has always approached the protection of the vulnerable. We rely on the rule of law to confront criminal acts. We expect the government to carry out its responsibilities seriously and competently. We expect the platforms we use every day to work closely with them to get the job done.
And most importantly, we recognize that families and communities are the first guardians of children. Returning to those first principles is how meaningful, durable child safety is achieved.