Ossoff’s bipartisan law drives 1,100% increase in child sex trafficking reports

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A bipartisan law authored by Sen. Jon Ossoff has led to a more than 1,100% increase in reports of child sex trafficking on big tech platforms, according to new data from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The REPORT Act, which became law two years ago this month, requires tech companies to report crimes involving enticement of children to NCMEC for the first time. In 2023, one year before the law was enacted, online platforms submitted 8,480 reports relating to child sex trafficking. In 2025, the first full year after implementation, platforms submitted 105,877 reports.

“I know that for every parent in Georgia, the worst nightmare is your child being trafficked and approached by a predator online, and it happens every single day across the country,” Ossoff said. “That’s why I worked to bring Republicans and Democrats together to pass the REPORT Act into law so that social media and tech companies are required to report evidence of sexual enticement or trafficking of children online to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.”

How the law works

The law also requires evidence to be preserved for a longer period, giving law enforcement more time to investigate and prosecute crimes. It increases fines for companies that knowingly and willfully fail to report child sex abuse material on their site.

“This is a reflection of how impactful this bill has been, how impactful bills like this can be when they require that these sort of incidents of child sexual exploitation actually be elevated and be reported and become more transparent,” said Yiota Souras, NCMEC’s chief legal officer.

The REPORT Act requires companies to keep material for one year so reports can be analyzed and sent to law enforcement while evidence is still available.

How trafficking happens online

Offenders approach children on various platforms, including mainstream social media sites and escort sites, Souras said. Traffickers advertise children already being trafficked using coded language or emojis. Offenders also directly approach children online to entice them, groom them and pay for sexual activity.

“Offenders know they can try to approach and entice and groom that child, learn a lot about them, learn about any vulnerabilities that child has,” Souras said. “Offenders are master manipulators when they’re seeking to traffic a child.”

Most reports involve children ages 15 to 17, though NCMEC has received trafficking reports involving children as young as 11 or 12.

What parents should know

NCMEC recommends parents make sure children feel comfortable coming to them if they share too much information online or feel uncomfortable about an interaction.

“The most important thing is that children feel comfortable going to somebody, a trusted adult, can be an older sibling, a teacher or school resource officer,” Souras said. “Raising that issue is so important because then adults can intervene, they can contact law enforcement, they can contact NCMEC and we can all help that child.”

The increased reports help NCMEC identify trends and offender tactics, which the organization uses in law enforcement training and community outreach.

Ossoff introduced the law alongside Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.