Statement of Principles for a Safer Digital Future
Protect Teens. Preserve Privacy.
Put Responsibility Where It Belongs.
The internet is where young people learn, explore, connect, and build the foundations of their lives. They deserve online spaces that are as safe as they are exciting – places where they can grow without being exposed to unnecessary risks, burdensome surveillance, or harmful design choices.
Parents do everything in their power to guide and protect their kids. They set boundaries, talk openly, use tools, stay vigilant, and try to keep up with technology that evolves faster than any family can. But families cannot – and should not – be expected to solve every problem alone.
The truth is simple: parents are doing their part. Kids are doing their best. The responsibility for creating safer online environments must be shared.
Right now, too many of the proposed “solutions” place that burden back on families, or on narrow access points that only protect kids in isolated corners of the internet. These approaches create a false sense of security, collect unnecessary personal data, and leave the real sources of online harm untouched.
We need solutions that protect kids everywhere they go online – not just on one device, not just in one app store, and not at the expense of their privacy or dignity.
That’s why our organizations stand together behind the following principles.
We invite partners across the country – child-safety advocates, mental-health professionals, parent networks, educators, technologists, youth-serving nonprofits, community organizations, and research institutions – to join us in this commitment.
Our Shared Principles
- Safety and privacy must go hand in hand.
Young people deserve protection from harmful content and dangerous interactions – without sacrificing their personal data or being subject to unnecessary surveillance. Real safety does not require creating new databases of children’s sensitive information. - Companies must take responsibility for the products and systems they design.
Digital platforms, app developers, and hosting services have a moral and practical obligation to ensure that the environments they create are reasonably safe for young people – and to enforce their own policies swiftly, consistently, and transparently. - Parents should be empowered, not sidelined.
Families have different needs, values, and expectations. They deserve tools that are clear, flexible, and easy to use – across devices, browsers, apps, games, and platforms. No policy should replace parental judgment or diminish family autonomy. - Solutions must work across the entire online ecosystem.
Kids access content everywhere – not just in mobile apps. Effective safety measures should apply across websites, desktop and mobile browsers, gaming platforms, messaging tools, and emerging technologies. Narrow or single-point solutions leave kids exposed. - No child should have to trade privacy for protection.
We support approaches that reduce harm without requiring families to hand over sensitive personal data. Privacy-preserving solutions are essential to maintaining safety, trust, and long-term digital well-being. - Young people need supportive, healthy online environments.
Digital spaces can be lifelines – places to learn, create, socialize, seek help, or find community. Safety efforts must preserve these positive benefits while reducing exposure to content and behaviors that put kids at risk. - Policy should be practical, effective, and grounded in real-world use.
We support solutions that reflect how teens actually use technology and that produce measurable improvements in safety. Performative or symbolic measures that are easy to bypass, or that introduce new risks, do not make kids safer. - Everyone has a role to play.
Parents, caregivers, educators, technologists, community groups, youth advocates, and policymakers must work together. No single tool or institution can solve this alone – real change requires shared responsibility and collective action. - Accountability is essential.
Meaningful progress happens when every stakeholder – especially those who design and operate digital platforms – meets their responsibilities. Kids and parents should not be left to shoulder the burden of safety alone. - Our goal is simple:
An internet where young people can grow, learn, and thrive safely. We envision a digital world grounded in responsibility, privacy, transparency, and respect for families. A world where teens can explore with confidence, and where parents can guide them without fear or confusion. An internet designed with their well-being in mind.
Why We Invite Organizations to Sign On
By endorsing these principles, your organization joins a broad and growing campaign committed to real online safety – not symbolic fixes or privacy-invasive approaches that leave kids vulnerable.
Signatories will:
