Durbin Meets with the Keep Kids Safe Coalition to Discuss Efforts to Protect Children from Exploitation

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today met with the Keep Kids Safe Coalition to discuss efforts to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse.  Durbin recently unveiled his new efforts to stop the exploitation of children online in a speech on the Senate floor. 

“Children are being bullied, harassed, and pressured into dangerous and even deadly behavior online.  As lawmakers, it’s our duty to impose stronger, enforceable online protections for kids, and I’m glad we’re not alone in this effort: groups across the United States are advocating for safer protections for our children,” said Durbin. “Our meeting today was part of a broad-based effort to finally crack down on Big Tech and stop the exploitation of children online.  I applaud the Keep Kids Safe Coalition’s mission and look forward to continuing to work together.”

The Keep Kids Safe Coalition includes a variety of organizations such as the National Children’s Alliance, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), Together for Girls, The Army of Survivors, and others.

Photos from the meeting are available here.

Durbin’s legislation, called the Strengthening Transparency and Obligations to Protect Children Suffering from Abuse and Mistreatment Act of 2023 (STOP CSAM Act), will crack down on the proliferation of child sex abuse material (CSAM) online.  To combat this horrific crime, Durbin’s STOP CSAM Act supports victims and increases accountability and transparency for online platforms.

In February, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing entitled, “Protecting Our Children Online,” which included powerful testimony from those working to increase children’s privacy and safety online.  Durbin’s opening statement from that hearing is available here and witness questions are available here. 

The Senate Judiciary Committee has noticed its intent to markup three pieces of legislation to help stop the exploitation of children online: EARN IT Act of 2023, introduced by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT); Durbin’s STOP CSAM Act of 2023; and the Cooper Davis Act, introduced by Senators Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).

In the Senate, Durbin has introduced legislation to strengthen online privacy protections for children when websites collect their personally identifiable information.  Earlier this year, he introduced the Clean Slate for Kids Online Act, legislation that would give every American an enforceable legal right to demand that internet companies delete all personal information that was collected from or about the person when he or she was a child under age 13. 

-30-