Protecting Kids Online

A coalition of parents and citizens protecting kids from surveillance policies disguised as child safety.

[Protecting Kids Online @PKOproject]

I’m a mom of four.

A few years ago the system decided the government knew better than I did about my own child.

That pushed me into reading the bills… then into testifying against them.

These “child safety” laws don’t protect kids.
They build surveillance infrastructure and call it safety.

So we built Protecting Kids Online — putting real parents in the room.

We are the parent voice.
We need you with us.
Join us → https://t.co/zf4Mp5bsag

[Protecting Kids Online @PKOproject]

Correct. We are real parents who want real protections for children online.

Government mandates for data collection and mass surveillance are NOT the solution.

We'd love to have you in our coalition! Learn more - join us today: https://t.co/7foDX93utH

[alpha @omarsbigsister]

FINALLY!!! An ACTUAL parents platform that isn't a cover for surveillance and tech companies

[Matt Johnston @MattInformed]

Yesterday I wrote this FAQ to help a grandparent navigate a difficult situation, but one that I have heard of from multiple parents. Once you understand the risks, the next challenge is implementing changes to address them. That can seem like an impossible task to start, but you can do it.

The guide I wrote is backed by our Parents page on our website that is loaded with more information, strategies, and tips. And if you need resources to help your kids understand the need for your protections, we have many articles under our 101 section as well as our book, Practive Security 101, to help you dive into the topic of online safety and security as a family.

Teaching our kids is a critical part of parenting effectively. This is a family journey. We’re here to help:

https://t.co/blBE9fTLaC

[Protecting Kids Online @PKOproject]

👀Pornhub is lobbying for age verification at the operating system level.

An adult content company is suddenly very concerned about ‘protecting kids’…by pushing forage verification at the OS level that expand surveillance for everyone.

🚫This isn’t about child safety.

It’s about controlling the infrastructure...and their bottom line.

The same age-verification systems sold as protection create new data collection points and privacy risks for ALL users.

✅Parents should decide what their kids can access.
Not platforms. 🚫Not government mandates.

New Substack → https://t.co/M36yUYevhk

You are the firewall.

[Protecting Kids Online @PKOproject]

Child safety or mass surveillance?

Cybersecurity expert, Matt Johnston lays it out clearly: policies sold as protecting kids are building the infrastructure for broader data collection and control.

Parents are the real solution.
Not the state.

Watch this. 👇

[Julie Barrett @juliecbarrett]

Child Safety or Mass Surveillance - with Cybersecurity Expert Matt Johnston https://t.co/sHXwuAwl2g

[Protecting Kids Online @PKOproject]

@Kaiju_TSlaymer @Gaigous @ChibiReviews @prestonjbyrne @MadamSavvy Thank you so much!!

[Protecting Kids Online @PKOproject]

When COVID hit in 2020 American kids lost school, friends, sports, and social clubs overnight.
The only place left to connect was online.

Now the same governments that locked them inside are pushing under-16 social media bans.

New reporting shows these bans rest on thin evidence, push kids to riskier spaces, and create privacy risks for everyone.

Parents see the contradiction clearly.

Check out our first Substack ➡️
https://t.co/fnePFXHQt1

[Jen's Two Cents. 🎙 @JensTwoCentsAZ]

“…parents or legal guardians would be able to authorize and jointly manage accounts for minors.”

🚨 Parents can already do this without the government mandate.

Follow @PKOproject to find out how.

https://t.co/B8TEO94SI4

[Jen's Two Cents. 🎙 @JensTwoCentsAZ]

Being a parent is stressful enough. Trying to keep your kids safe online can feel impossible.

Every week there’s a new headline, a new app, or another politician promising the latest “solution” to protect children. Too often, those solutions come with more government surveillance and less parental authority.

The truth is parents already have more power than they realize. Sometimes they just need the right information and the confidence to use it.

That’s why I’m excited to share I’ll be working with the brilliant @juliecbarrett on a new national coalition called @PKOproject.

🔗 Here's how you can join us! https://t.co/pHqroS5JHQ

[Protecting Kids Online @PKOproject]

Exactly.

These "SAFE for Kids" rules don’t protect children, they create new privacy risks for every user and try to replace parents with state mandates.

Parents already have the tools.
We don’t need age-verification systems or government databases.

✅YOU are the firewall.
🚫Not the state.

[NetChoice @NetChoice]

New York's Final SAFE for Kids Rules Cement an Unconstitutional Censorship Regime

NEW YORK, N.Y.—Today, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Kathy Hochul released final rules implementing the SAFE for Kids Act, the state’s 2024 law restricting algorithmic feeds and nighttime notifications for users under 18. The rules take effect January 25, 2027.

"New York doesn't need to replace parents," said @abos255, Vice President of Government Affairs at NetChoice. "Similar laws targeting algorithms and content moderation in the name of keeping kids ‘safe' have already been overturned or are being challenged in other states, because they're categorically unconstitutional. Instead, the state should back law enforcement with the resources to go after the people actually harming children."

The final rules raise several concerns:

1. An unmeasurable threshold: Coverage turns on when users hit the threshold of 20% of their time spent on a platform’s “addictive” feeds — a figure no platform can measure in advance, leaving the Attorney General wide discretion to decide after the fact who violated the law.

2. A real compliance cost: Covered platforms must run annual accuracy testing on their age assurance method and retain the results for a minimum of ten years, a standing burden that lands hardest on smaller services.

3. The vendors grade their own mandate: The Attorney General’s release quotes the Age Verification Providers Association, the Age Check Certification Scheme, and Yoti praising the rules as workable. Every one of them profits from the compliance services these rules now require, whether or not they are truly safe and workable.

4. A privacy risk for everyone, not just kids: To screen out minors, every user must first hand over sensitive identifying information. That data has to be stored somewhere, creating a new target for breaches and a new tool for tracking people's online activity.

5. A family decision, not a state one: Parents already have the tools to manage what their kids see online. NetChoice has won injunctions against similar laws in California and Arkansas.

[Protecting Kids Online @PKOproject]

One of the simplest things parents can do right now:

☑️Put the devices in common areas at night.
🚫No phones, tablets, or labtops in bedrooms.

This reduces late-night scrolling, secret conversations, and unsupervised access...without any new laws, age verification, or government databases required.

Small habits like this are what actually protect kids.

You are the firewall.

What’s one boundary you’ve set in your home that has made a real difference?

Share below 👇

[Protecting Kids Online @PKOproject]

Child safety bills that require age verification for every American aren’t protecting kids.

They’re building the infrastructure for Digital ID and calling it safety.

Parents don’t need more government databases.

We need the freedom and tools to protect our own children.

➡️You are the firewall.
🚫Not the state.
🚫Not Big Tech.

Join the parent voice → https://t.co/zf4Mp5aUkI

[Protecting Kids Online @PKOproject]

@FallenAngelBoy7 Correct. That's exactly what was said in the video - it's the mission of our coalition.

[Protecting Kids Online @PKOproject]

I’m a mom of four.

A few years ago the system decided the government knew better than I did about my own child.

That pushed me into reading the bills… then into testifying against them.

These “child safety” laws don’t protect kids.
They build surveillance infrastructure and call it safety.

So we built Protecting Kids Online — putting real parents in the room.

We are the parent voice.
We need you with us.
Join us → https://t.co/zf4Mp5bsag

[Protecting Kids Online @PKOproject]

@FallenAngelBoy7 You prefer government mandating identity verification instead of parents implementing parental controls?

[Jen's Two Cents. 🎙 @JensTwoCentsAZ]

Please follow @PKOproject today.

[Protecting Kids Online @PKOproject]

You already have the tools to protect your kids online.

You don’t need age-verification mandates or government databases.

☑️Time limits.
☑️App restrictions.
☑️Content filters.
☑️Purchase approvals.

These already exist...parents just need to use them.

Real protection starts with YOU, not policymakers.

You are the firewall.

[Protecting Kids Online @PKOproject]

@dbl_mp1 We agree!

[Protecting Kids Online @PKOproject]

Excellent advice! 👍

[DBL MP / Double @dbl_mp1]

Parents. Do not buy your child an iPad. If you DO, then set up parental controls. You ALREADY have the tools you need to protect your children.

I cannot believe this would even need to be said, but I also feel like we have to keep restating this point.

[Protecting Kids Online @PKOproject]

From our founder Julie Barrett’s testimony on Wisconsin’s AB 962 (App Store Accountability Act): "This policy does NOT protect children, does NOT empower parents, and does NOT hold Big Tech accountable."

The ASAA creates surveillance infrastructure and calls it safety.

Parents are the firewall: not government-mandated age verification for everyone.

Watch the full testimony ⬇️
Learn more: https://t.co/rybB6QZCbt

[Julie Barrett @juliecbarrett]

Today’s testimony in Wisconsin opposing AB 962 the App Store Accountability Act because it does NOT protect children or empower parents