End OSEAC Coalition Applauds House Passage of the TAKE IT DOWN Act

FORM IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Danielle Lilly
DLilly@childfund.org

End OSEAC Coalition Applauds House Passage of
the TAKE IT DOWN Act

The bill requires platforms to remove real or deepfake non-consensual sexual imagery,
a crucial step in making the internet safer for children.

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 29, 2025 – ChildFund and the End Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children (End OSEAC) Coalition, a group of organizations committed to furthering policies that protect children online, celebrates the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks (TAKE IT DOWN) Act (S.146). The bill now heads to President Trump’s desk for his signature, as the Senate passed it unanimously on Feb. 13, 2025. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the Senate version of the bill.

Introduced in the House on Jan. 22, 2025 by Reps. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), August Pfluger (R-TX) and Stacey Plaskett (D-VI), the TAKE IT DOWN Act was advanced by House Energy and Commerce Committee on April 11, paving the way for yesterday’s action on the House floor.

The TAKE IT DOWN Act aims to protect children who are victimized by the online publication of real or deepfake non-consensual sexual imagery. It requires social media platforms to remove illegal content, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM), within 48 hours of notification from the victim and criminalizes the publication or threat to publish other forms of authentic and deepfake child exploitative imagery. The proactive measures outlined in the legislation are an essential step in addressing the range of online sexual exploitation and abuse of children. The coalition is grateful for the recent surge in bipartisan support for this legislation, including from First Lady Melania Trump, who hosted a bipartisan roundtable on Capitol Hill on March 3.

“If the TAKE IT DOWN Act had been in place when many of us who are survivors were being abused, we would have been spared the near-limitless and humiliating spread of our intimate images,” said Harrison Haynes, chair of the End OSEAC Coalition’s Survivors Council. “This humiliation continues to affect us years after our abuse. To sign this act into law means bringing dignity to the lives of those who survived their abuse and justice for those who have not.”

“The creation and distribution of non-consensual sexually exploitative images is causing very real harm to survivors, including the many children who have already been impacted,” said Danielle Lily, Policy Director at ChildFund and the End OSEAC Coalition’s interim chair. “We applaud Reps. Salazar, Dean, Buchanan, Dingell, Pfluger and Plaskett for their leadership on the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which will not only finally criminalize this type of image-based abuse but also ensure the swift take-down of these abusive images from online platforms."

The coalition remains steadfast in its support for policies that protect children from online exploitation and abuse and urges continued action on this vital issue from the 119th Congress and the White House.

About ChildFund

ChildFund works throughout Asia, Africa and the Americas, including the United States, to connect children with what they need to grow up healthy, educated, skilled and safe — at home, in school, in community, online. ChildFund leads the End OSEAC Coalition, a group of 30 civil society organizations advocating for policies to protect children online. Find out more at ChildFund.org

About the End OSEAC Coalition

The End Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children (OSEAC) Coalition is a U.S. advocacy coalition that aims to improve U.S. government policies and programs to better prevent and address online sexual exploitation and abuse of children and provide appropriate support to survivors. Learn more about our mission to #ProtectKidsOnline: EndOSEAC.org