KiDS S.H.I.E.L.D. Pledge
A Public Commitment to Protect Children From the Harms of Social Media and Artificial Intelligence
Sign the Pledge Below:
Protecting children in the digital age requires more than statements of concern. It requires independence, transparency, and the courage to refuse financial influence from the companies whose products are harming kids.
For too long, the largest social media and AI companies have shaped the national conversation through funding, partnerships, and sponsorships that blur the line between collaboration and control. These same companies have opposed meaningful reforms, fought efforts like the Kids Online Safety Act, concealed evidence of harm, and worked to limit the ability of states to regulate AI systems that interact with children.
We believe advocacy organizations, youth-serving nonprofits, and public-interest groups must stand on clear and unambiguous moral ground. Our first obligation is to children and families, not to the companies seeking to shape policy outcomes with their funding.
By signing this pledge, we commit to the following:
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Commitment to Child Safety Above All Else
We affirm that the safety, mental health, privacy, and well-being of children outweigh any potential benefit of financial partnerships with companies that continue to fight regulations, ignore evidence of harm, or deploy AI technologies without guardrails that protect minors.
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Independence in Advocacy
We will not allow financial relationships to shape, soften, or alter our public policy positions. Our work on behalf of children cannot be influenced by companies seeking to avoid regulation or accountability for the harms caused by their products or platforms.
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Refusal of Compromising Funding
We refuse financial support from social media or AI companies and any tech company associated with them.
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Transparency of Amounts and Purpose
We will disclose how much Big Tech funding we currently receive, if any, and we commit to public transparency about any future offers or support from social media or AI companies. If our organization has ever provided testimony, public comment, research, or advocacy aligned with a position supported by tech funding, we will disclose that relationship going forward.
Disclosure is required only when an organization has received funding or material support from a social media or AI company, and its advocacy could reasonably be viewed as influenced by that financial relationship. Incidental agreement with positions supported by a tech-funded organization would not trigger disclosure.
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Annual Reporting and Public Accountability
We will update our disclosures annually so the public, policymakers, and families know exactly where we stand and who funds our work.
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Clear and Honest Transparency About Current and Future Tech Funding
We commit to transparency about whether our organization currently receives funding, sponsorships, or in-kind support from social media or AI companies, and to disclosing any such funding we might receive in the future.
We further commit that any future offers of funding from these companies will be evaluated publicly, transparently, and with child safety as the first priority.
Sign the Pledge!
Why the KiDS SHIELD Pledge Matters
Children deserve a digital world shaped by integrity, not influence. Public trust requires openness. Advocacy requires independence. And real child protection requires all of us to be honest about who funds our work and why.
Taking this pledge sends a clear and simple message. We cannot be bought off. We cannot be influenced. We stand with kids, not with the companies harming them.
Join these Organizations in Signing:
