Connect x Protect believes young people deserve age-appropriate online spaces where they can connect safely while protecting their privacy. This campaign amplifies the voices of parents and kids to demand policymakers find solutions that protect kids online in a way that preserves privacy and makes the internet safer for everyone.
Protect Teens Preserve Privacy
Parents shouldn’t have to choose between online safety and privacy.
Kids deserve both.
- We advocate for a safer internet for kids — one where young people can benefit from the connected world without sacrificing their privacy or the security of their personal data.
- We push back on flawed policies that present a false choice between safety and privacy and rely on ineffective measures like age-verification checks that expose sensitive data and ignore the risks kids encounter on web browsers, consoles, and desktops.
- We believe that we can keep kids connected and protected — we educate and empower families by translating the complicated proposals before policymakers into clear, transparent guidance and advocate for better solutions that include privacy and security at their core.
- We seek a practical path — a safer digital ecosystem with shared responsibility and smarter solutions. Through research, collaboration, and clear communication, we help families and policymakers understand what effective online safety looks like — without sacrificing kidsʼ privacy, security, or well-being.
What We're Reading
- Tips for Parents: Raising Resilient Learners In An AI WorldFor kids with access to digital devices and Internet connectivity, artificial intelligence (AI) is almost impossible to avoid. Generative AI is embedded in search results, social media feeds, video games, education technology, and even toys.
- When Age Gating Puts User Privacy at RiskMany countries have begun implementing laws around online age verification, with the goal of keeping youth safe from adult content. However, the lack of informed discussion about the risks to privacy and security could leave adults and youth alike in unexpectedly vulnerable positions.
- Instagram Users Fear Data Breach After Password Reset EmailsMillions of Instagram users were left concerned over a potential data breach after they reported receiving a password reset email from the social media platform, despite not requesting a reset.
- Kids’ Online Safety Requires Precision, Not CentralizationParents have valid concerns about how online environments shape their children’s behavior. However, as the House Energy and Commerce Committee advances a comprehensive package of children’s online safety bills, the crucial question isn’t whether lawmakers should act, but how responsibility should be shared.
Updates
- Online Age Verification Could Create More Problems than it SolvesThis requirement can put young users at risk while creating a false sense of security.
- SolutionsSolutions that WORK
- Your Voices, Your StoriesSupporting Parents: There is More to Be Done
The internet is where we live much of our lives.
For kids and teens, it is how they learn and grow, communicate and build community.They deserve an internet that is as safe as it is exciting.
