Ending Sexploitation Podcast (Episode 83)

Character.AI has announced a surprising and encouraging change to their platform that would restrict usage to 18+ users. It remains to be seen how accurate and reliable their system handles age verification, and Haley McNamara and Dani Pinter discuss the lead up to this monumental change for a major player in the AI companion bot space.

Sign this petition to have other AI companies make this change! https://advocacy.charityengine.net/Default.aspx?isid=2673

Read the NCOSE press statement on the new GUARD Act: https://endsexualexploitation.org/articles/children-are-victims-of-ai-chatbots-guard-act-will-add-necessary-guardrails/

Read the article on Mashable about this announcement from Character.AI: https://mashable.com/article/character-ai-teens-no-longer-allowed-open-ended-chats-with-chatbots

Read the full report From HEAT Initiative and Parents Action Together on AI Kids' Accounts: https://heatinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/HEAT_REPORT_CharacterAI_FINAL_PM_29_09_25.pdf

Roblox continues to be one of the most popular AND most dangerous online platforms for kids. Haley McNamara (CSO and Executive Director at NCOSE) is joined by Tim Nester (VP of Communications at NCOSE) to discuss the current state of Roblox safety – or lack thereof – as well as the recent lawsuits that families are filing against the gaming company. Then Tim and Haley dive into recent reports about the Instagram algorithm that has been serving up violent content that many are labeling as "gore" content.

Learn more about Roblox on our Dirty Dozen List: https://endsexualexploitation.org/roblox/
Read the CBS News article about Instagram "gore": https://www.cbsnews.com/news/instagram-violence/
Contact Congress to END Section 230 Immunity for Big Tech! https://endsexualexploitation.org/DDL230-action

OpenAI's Sam Altman has announced that adult users will be able to access "erotica" as part of their efforts to "treat adults like adults" on the platform. Is this really the best use of technological innovation? Is this where the resources and priorities of companies like OpenAI should be channeled? Haley McNamara and Dani Pinter from NCOSE chat about this new development and the disingenuous context that is attempted in this announcement.

Sign this petition to call OpenAI to change this direction: https://advocacy.charityengine.net/Default.aspx?isid=2661

Learn more about the A.I. LEAD ACT: https://endsexualexploitation.org/articles/ncose-supports-a-i-lead-act-to-confront-ai-harms/

Ending Sexploitation Podcast
EPISODE 80

In this special episode of the podcast, a panel of experts takes a closer look at the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and explore the details around duty of care, enforcement, and emerging tech. This legislation is vital to ongoing efforts to protect children online, and this fantastic group of speakers explain more about the bill and why it should pass.

Dani Pinter, Chief Legal Officer and Director of the NCOSE Law Center
Benjamin Bull, Senior Vice President and General Counsel in the NCOSE Law Center
Mary Graw, Tenured Professor at Catholic University and Former Federal and State Prosecutor
Chris McKenna, Founder of Protect Young Eyes

TAKE ACTION: Contact your representative to pass KOSA
http://endsexualexploitation.org/PassKOSA

The 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report has been released by the State Department of the United States, and Marcel van der Watt (President and CEO at NCOSE) joins Haley McNamara (Executive Director and CSO at NCOSE) and Dani Pinter (CLO and Director of the NCOSE Law Center) to talk about some of the surprises in this 25th edition of the annual report. Each year, it ranked countries into tiers based on their efforts to combat trafficking, and our team dives into why some of these rankings seem to miss the mark. They also watch and react to the recent video from Joseph Gordon-Levitt about the dangers of A.I. and how we need to stand up and make sure our voices are heard at every level of government.

Learn more about NCOSE's efforts to fight Demand: https://endsexualexploitation.org/demand
Read the 2025 TIP Report: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/
Watch Joseph Gordon-Levitt's NYT video: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CSdXtNaVN/

Dani Pinter (Chief Legal Officer at NCOSE) and Haley McNamara (Chief Strategy Officer at NCOSE) discuss some of the recent heartbreaking stories shared by families who have been devastated by careless and out of control A.I. Chatbots. They discuss the specific stories shared at a recent Senate hearing as well as articles and studies that show this goes beyond one-time anecdotal examples. It's time for companies like Meta to stop viewing these families as collateral damage and to make changes to their platforms and A.I. tools that will make them safe to use!

Follow Haley on X: https://x.com/HaleyMcNamara
Follow Dani on X: https://x.com/DaniBPinter

DONATE to support the work of NCOSE: https://EndSexualExploitation.org/Donate
Watch the full Senate hearing: https://bit.ly/AIchatbotHearing-Sept2025
Read the study on "Mental Health Chat Bot Agents" - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-17242-4

Tim Nester (Vice President of Communications at NCOSE) is sitting in to host this week, and he sits down with Patrick Erlandson to discuss the Truth About Fathers and their role in the fight against sexual exploitation – specifically areas of pornography and sex trafficking. Patrick's journey into the movement to end sexual exploitation began during his time working with the United Nations Refugee Agency, where he witnessed firsthand the horrors of trafficking and exploitation. In 2018, he founded Father-Con, which is an organization that counters the lies that lead men to believe that they aren't critically important in the healthy development of children, and emphasizes their role in combating sexual abuse and exploitation in all its forms.

Fathers set an example for their families through their actions, and Patrick and Tim chat about those realities and provide insights and tips for dads (and moms!) in changing the narrative around these issues in their home.

*Visit the Father-Con website to learn more about Patrick's work: https://www.father-con.org
*Conversation Starters for Parents & Kids: https://EndSexualExploitation.org/ConversationStarters
*"The Most Dangerous Playground" - a FREE resource about the dangers of the devices that are damaging America's children: https://EndSexualExploitation.org/MostDangerousPlayground
*Donate monthly to the work that NCOSE is doing and become a DEFENDER. Learn more: https://EndSexualExploitation.org/Defender

Victoria Sinis is the founder of Creating Gems, an organization created to help young women break free from harmful narratives about themselves. In this presentation from the 2024 CESE Summit, Victoria digs into the deceptive tactics used to lure individuals into the commercial sex trade.

As a former employee at a recruitment agency for OnlyFans, Victoria shares her journey of realization, her immediate departure from the industry, and her ongoing crusade to expose these harmful practices. Gain a deeper understanding of the grooming and recruitment methods employed on a large scale for online exploitation and learn how to recognize and combat these deceptive tactics.

Victoria is a passionate advocate empowering individuals - especially young women - to challenge harmful narratives perpetuated by mainstream media. With a background in startups and marketing, her recent journey led her to a pivotal realization.

Follow Victoria on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoria.sinis/
Learn more about Creating Gems: https://creatinggems.com/
Learn more about the dangers of OnlyFans and take action: https://endsexualexploitation.org/onlyfans/