This week, we’ve seen legislators across the country taking massive steps to protect children from obscenity (i.e. hardcore pornography) online with the help of NCOSE’s team!  

1. The Children’s Device Protection Act (SB 104), which would require smartphones and tablets to automatically turn ON filters that block pornography websites when activated, passed out of committee UNANIMOUSLY in Utah! Now, this legislation goes to the House floor for a vote in UT – and then to the governor’s desk! NCOSE assisted in drafting this legislation and our Senior Vice President, Benjamin Bull, testified before the committee on Wednesday, catalyzing the unanimous vote. 
   
   
2. Maryland Lawmakers proposed similar legislation, the Maryland Online Child Protection Act (HB 0772). NCOSE Vice President Eleanor Gaetan spoke alongside Survivors at a press conference in support of the bill on Tuesday.

We continue to work to pass legislation like this in other states. If you are in South Carolina, Indiana, Idaho, Arizona, Alabama, or Utah please contact your state legislators by clicking on the hyperlinks over the respective state name.   

NCOSE has released its 2023 Gratitude Report—and there is indeed much to be grateful for!

Thanks to your partnership and support, 2023 was a year full of incredible victories and progress. Billions of people have been better protected from sexual exploitation and online harms!

Read highlights of everything we can celebrate together here. 

Suojellaan Lapsia, Protect Children

A new report by Suojellaan Lapsia, Protect Children provides chilling insights on the ways offenders use mainstream tech platforms to access and distribute child sexual abuse material (CSAM, the more apt term for "child pornography"). Some highlights:

• 77% of surveyed CSAM offenders have encountered CSAM or links to CSAM on the surface web (e.g. on a social media platform, a pornography website, a messaging app, or other mainstream website) 
• 32% say that they have used social media platforms to search for, view, or disseminate CSAM.
  • The top platforms used for this purpose were Instagram (29%), X (Twitter) (26%), and Discord (23%).
• 40% said they sought contact with a child after viewing CSAM
  • Of those, 70% sought such contact online (e.g. on social media platforms, gaming platforms, or messaging apps

When most people think about ending sex trafficking and prostitution, they think of helping the individuals ensnarled in the sex trade exit and start new lives. This is vitally important, but just as important is stopping prostitution and sex trafficking before it occurs by stopping those who buy sex. 

If men aren’t buying sex, pimps and traffickers won’t be supplying brothels, back alleys, and websites with victims. At the current rate, we can rescue women and twice the amount will fill their spots the next day. We can arrest traffickers and enterprising predators will fill the void. But stop the sex buyers putting cash in the pimps’ pockets… and the market will dry up. 

On February 29th, 2:00-3:30 PM EST, we are hosting a Symposium on preventing sex trafficking by stopping sex buyers! You can join us either virtually, or in-person at the NCOSE office in DC.

Sincerely,