Congressman Patronis Files the True Cost of Big Tech in the Congressional Record
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Patronis filed the True Cost of Big Tech in the Congressional Record to inform the public and underscore the dangers of Section 230. This statement explains real stories from real families that have been hurt by this law.
“Big Tech destroys our communities and the people in them,” said Congressman Patronis. “I want it forever enshrined in the congressional record about the damage Big Tech is doing to our children and how parents have zero ability to hold these oligarchs accountable for the damage they have done. They must be accountable for harming our kids. Section 230 was intended for an internet of the past. This industry is the only one in America allowed to knowingly harm children and to push parents to the sidelines. These platforms are intentionally made sticky to keep American children addicted.”
The True Cost of Big Tech
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HON. JIMMY PATRONIS
OF FLORIDA 1ST DISTRICT
Washington, Tuesday, February 3, 2026
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act insulates “Big Tech” from most liability for the digital fentanyl promoted on their sites. Time and time again, drugs are sold, sexually suggestive and/or explicit content is posted without consent, algorithms promote and normalize suicide and self-harm, and chatbots tell children how to cope with their emotions. All of these things are harming our vulnerable and impressionable youth. Chatbot usage is now so widespread that nearly three quarters of teens have used AI companions, and of these users approximately one in three have used them for social interactions and relationships to include the more than one in ten who sought emotional or mental health support.
That is why I proudly introduced House Resolution 7045, the Promoting Responsible Online Technology and Ensuring Consumer Trust (PROTECT) Act, to immediately repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and to restore accountability for online platforms.
The question we must ask ourselves is: can there be any accountability when there is no liability. The answer is no. Without liability there is no accountability. When was the last time you saw revenge porn or fentanyl marketed on a billboard? The answer is you have not seen it because of a well-crafted system that punishes wrongdoing. Why do we see this content online constantly? The answer is Section 230.
Let us stop pretending like the internet is new, novel, and worthy of special treatment when 96% of Americans access it. When the law passed in 1996, the internet was in its early days long before the average American spent nearly half the month online and nearly one in six sales occurred online. Congress can no longer ignore the fact that the average American spends nearly 60,000% more time online than during the year of the law’s passage.
To be clear, this law lets the large companies that dominate the areas where Americans spend almost half their time generally face no consequences for the content these platforms share, actively promote, and generate billons from. Worse yet, the law also deprives states of the power to protect their own citizens through state law. I am deeply troubled by alarming national trends and the proliferation of AI chatbots, providing advice to our children. Increasingly, children have been suffering, and parents have been unable to pursue an effective means of encouraging the industry to police itself.
Sadly, one in five children receive an unwanted sexual solicitation annually online. Despite Section 230 continuing to insulate online predation, I am proud of the work multiple sheriff offices, as well as state and federal agencies did to arrest 13 suspects during an online child sexual predator operation in my district and in surrounding communities last fall.
Imagine how much more “Big Tech” would be willing to do to shut down the predator superhighway if they faced actual consequences. While I could fill hundreds of pages with stories about how social media is harming our youth and supplement it daily, I want to focus on stories from my district and my home state of Florida.
As a successful Section 230 defense often results in the court granting dismissal early in the litigation, the facts are often accepted as plead. In these instances, the excerpts below reflect the claims as plead by the victims and their families.
OnlyFans Parent Company Faces No Liability for Allegedly Profiting Off Rape of a Miami Teenager:
In April 2022, Michelson Romelus and Bendjy Charles allegedly filmed each other on video while they forcible raped and sodomized the teenage victim in Miami. Several weeks later, the footage was allegedly edited and uploaded to OnlyFans.com where the footage was allegedly sold as part of a monthly subscription. Despite these facts, the case was recommended for dismissal based on Section 230, meaning the alleged victim could not recover from the platform.
Omegle Immune from Liability for Allegedly Connecting a Minor with a Predator Who Coerced an 11-Year-Old into Undressing:
On March 31, 2020, an 11-year-old girl and user of the Omegle platform, which allowed users to connect with people randomly and anonymously allegedly connected the child with a predator. This predator allegedly informed the victim that he knew where she lived and provided specific details about where she lived to prove it. He allegedly threatened to hack the victim and her family’s devices if she did not disrobe and comply with his demands. The predator allegedly filmed the incident. The case was dismissed by the Court as the victim’s family “failed to plead claims that withstand Omegle’s Section 230 immunity.” The platform has since ceased operations.
OfferUp Found Not Liable for Allegedly Connecting Buyer with Seller Who Robbed and Shot Buyer:
On June 13, 2018, the victim allegedly arranged to meet with the seller in Palmetto, Florida to consummate the contemplated sale of goods. The meeting was allegedly setup in response to a post on the OfferUp platform. When the victim arrived, he was allegedly robbed and shot multiple times. The Court concluded that Section 230 barred the claim against OfferUp.
Craigslist Faces No Accountability for Allegedly Facilitating Sex Trafficking of a 15-Year-Old:
Back in 2008, a then fifteen-year-old girl began to allegedly be forcibly trafficked for commercial sex, which allegedly continued for a decade across Miami-Dade County. She was allegedly frequently expected to perform commercial sexual acts for between eleven and fourteen different men daily. The traffickers allegedly used craigslist’s “erotic services”, “adult services”, “massage services”, “casual encounters”, and “personals” categories to display their posts and to send emails on the platform to negotiate commercial sex sales. Her traffickers allegedly posted sexually explicit, nude and partially nude photos as well as coded words to advertise commercial sex. At times, messages allegedly sent on the platform indicated that the victim was underage. To use their platform, the traffickers allegedly paid a fee to craigslist who never rejected or removed any posts.
Although the Court explained that “some of her allegations demonstrate craigslist’s appalling lack of diligence in preventing trafficking, not a single one establishes that craigslist created or developed the trafficking content.” After an extensive legal battle, the Court ultimately found craigslist not liable based on a Section 230 defense.
Mother Whose 11-year-old son was an Alleged Victim of Sexual Battery Denied Relief After a Four-Year Fight:
Following an alleged sexual assault of legal guardian’s 11-year-old son and two other minor males in 1994, Richard Lee Russell was criminally convicted for events relating to those alleged in the complaint. This sexual predator under Florida Law allegedly solicited the sale of the photographs and video of this assault in America Online, Inc. chat rooms. Ultimately, this case was appealed all the way to the Florida Supreme Court. The mother was denied civil relief from America Online, Inc. after the Court found Section 230 preempted Florida law.
Emerging Threat of AI Chatbots:
Beyond platforms serving as a predator superhighway, today’s parents must contend with AI chatbots that are grooming children and pretending to be licensed therapists. For example, a 14-year-old boy, after allegedly prolonged conversations with an AI chatbot, tragically ended his life near Orlando, Florida. His brave mother recently testified in the Senate Judiciary Committee that the company Character Technologies, Inc. would not disclose to her many of her child’s last words. Imagine a parent not being allowed to know what was going on through her child’s mind in his final minutes.
For all these reasons, Congress must swiftly pass the PROTECT Act to keep our children safe and to restore accountability to the internet.
To view Congressman Patronis’ True Cost of Big Tech Congressional Record, click HERE.
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