Project Safe Childhood

Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 that aims to combat the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children. The threat of sexual predators soliciting children for physical sexual contact is well-known and serious; the danger of perpetrators who produce, distribute, and possess child pornography is equally dramatic and disturbing. The Department of Justice is committed to the safety and well-being of every child and has placed a high priority on combating sexual exploitation of minors. Through a network of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and advocacy organizations, PSC coordinates efforts to protect our children by investigating and prosecuting online sexual predators. PSC is implemented through a partnership of U.S. Attorneys; Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces; federal partners, including the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Marshals Service; advocacy organizations such as the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC); and state and local law enforcement officials in each U.S. Attorney’s district.

Learn more about Project Safe Childhood by visiting the Department of Justice's website at https://www.justice.gov/psc.

The U.S. Attorney's Office aims to protect children online and to empower parents to have a strong understanding of digital platforms.

• NetSmartz is an interactive educational program from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The NetSmartz program offers age-appropriate resources to help teach children how to be safer on- and offline. The program is designed for children ages 5-17, parents and guardians, educators, and law enforcement.
• Know2Protect is a national DHS public awareness campaign to prevent and combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA).
• Project iGuardian helps kids, teens and parents to be smart about online safety and stay safe from online sexual predators.
• Safe Online Surfing (SOS) Program is a free, educational program for children that teaches cyber safety and helps them become better digital citizens in a fun and engaging way. The program, created for students in third through eighth grades, covers age-appropriate topics like cyberbullying, passwords, malware, social media, and more. The website is available in both English and Spanish.
• Stop.Think.Connect Campaign is a national public awareness campaign aimed at increasing the understanding of cyber threats and empowering the American public to be safer and more secure online.

How to Report Violations

Child Pornography

• To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt, or production of child pornography, file a report on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)'s website at www.cybertipline.com, or call 1-800-843-5678. Your report will be forwarded to a law enforcement agency for investigation and action.

Extraterritorial Sexual Exploitation of Children

• To report an incident or suspicious situation that may involve the extraterritorial sexual exploitation of children, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-3737-888, or file a confidential online report at https://humantraffickinghotline.org/report-trafficking. Your report will be forwarded to a law enforcement agency for investigation and action.
• You can also report an incident or suspicious situation to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) by calling the ICE hotline at 1-866-347-2423, or emailing ICE at predator@DHS.gov.

Obscenity

• To report obscene material sent to a child, a misleading domain name or misleading words or images on the Internet, file a report on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)'s website at www.cybertipline.com, or call 1-800-843-5678. Your report will be forwarded to a law enforcement agency for investigation and action.
• To report obscene or indecent material broadcast over the radio or television, contact the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), which regulates radio and television broadcasting. You can report a complaint by calling the FCC at 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322), faxing 1-866-418-0232, submitting online at https://www.fcc.gov/general/obscenity-indecency-and-profanity, or writing to the FCC at:
            Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
            Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division
            445 12th St., SW
            Washington, DC 20554
• To report individuals engaged in fraudulent or unfair trade practices involving unsolicited emails, porn-spam, media violence, or identity theft, contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and file a online consumer complaint form at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/?pid=B.