The Trump administration is directing American diplomats around the world to push host nations toward stronger online child protection policies. The initiative focuses specifically on shielding minors from pornography and sexual exploitation online while preserving free speech, digital privacy, and technological innovation.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott confirmed the effort, stating the administration “strongly prioritizes the protection of children online, advancing policies that combat exploitation while safeguarding privacy, free expression, and innovation.”
The memo signals that the U.S. favors age verification technology — specifically zero-knowledge proof systems that confirm age without requiring users to submit identifying documents like driver’s licenses or passports. This approach verifies eligibility while keeping personal details private, a key distinction the administration emphasized to guard against government overreach.
The memo also makes clear the administration favors empowering parents rather than imposing blanket government mandates — prioritizing parental controls over one-size-fits-all restrictions. Digital literacy campaigns to help parents understand and manage device settings are also part of the strategy.
The initiative follows President Trump’s signing of the Take It Down Act in 2025, championed by First Lady Melania Trump, which requires platforms to remove nonconsensual intimate imagery including AI-generated deepfakes. Polling shows 83% of likely voters support age verification laws for app downloads, and 81% support the same for pornographic websites.
Children are being exposed to hardcore pornography at younger and younger ages, with real and documented psychological harm. The administration’s approach targets exploitation specifically, protects parental authority, preserves free speech, and avoids the kind of invasive identification mandates that create their own civil liberties problems.
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