Survivor Parents’ Plea to First Lady Melania Trump Asking for Support to Protect Kids Online

ParentSOS Members Send Letter to First Lady Asking for Her Help to Move the Kids Online Safety Act Before the End of the Year

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — ParentsSOS, an educational initiative formed by bereaved families to combat online harms, sent a letter to First Lady Melania Trump asking for help to move the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) before the end of the year. Knowing Mrs. Trump is a staunch supporter of a safer internet for children, ParentsSOS wrote the letter to enlist her support for the critical online safety legislation before the end of the year. If passed, it would be the first bill in more than 25 years to require meaningful protections for children online.

In the letter, ParentsSOS encouraged Mrs. Trump to build on the work of her “Be Best” campaign that she led during her husband’s first term.

“Like any mother whose child has been bullied, online or offline, we know you are invested in protecting kids from harm,” parents wrote. “Your ‘Be Best’ campaign during your husband’s first term is a testament to your fierce leadership in this effort. We urge you to use your considerable influence to help advance this bill, shield children from the deadly design features of online platforms, and empower parents like you and us with viable tools to protect our kids.”

Members of ParentsSOS have all lost children to social media harms. Some died from suicide after being relentlessly cyberbullied or cruelly sextorted. Others died of fentanyl poisoning after being sold counterfeit pills online. Still others died from accidental asphyxiation after trying dangerous viral challenges. The parents have spent more than two years advocating for reasonable protections online so that no other American family will have to experience the grief they endure daily.

KOSA must be included in a Continuing Resolution to pass this year, and only a few days remain for Congress to act.