NBC’s reporting on protecting children from harmful content was undermined by an enormous omission: Melania Trump’s visit to Capitol Hill to advocate for children exposed to online exploitation.
Here is the report in its entirety, as aired on NBC Nightly News on Monday, March 3rd, 2025:
LESTER HOLT: All right. Let's turn now to the ongoing legal battles facing TikTok. A major development in a lawsuit brought by 13 states and Washington D.C. Savannah Sellers joins me. Now, Savannah, this lawsuit alleges the app doesn't do enough to protect young users.
SAVANNAH SELLERS: Lester, that's exactly right. And today, in fact, a judge cleared the way for it to move forward. That judge also partially unsealed the complaint, and that allowed us to see what the D.C. attorney general says is never-before-seen data proving exactly what you mentioned, Lester- that the app fails to protect kids. It alleges that an alarming amount of harmful content is not removed from the app, including a third of content dealing with minor sexual solicitation and posts normalizing pedophilia. Here’s another thing. Kids are also able to easily bypass age restrictions. The attorney general citing internal TikTok data showing up to 70% of kids 13-15 falsely reporting their age. Now for TikTok’s part, they say these numbers are misleading, cherry picked, out of date. They say they stand by their efforts, which include robust safety protections, Lester.
HOLT: Okay, Savannah. Thank you for that.
Savannah Sellers’ report was focused solely on TikTok, but it could have benefitted from a tie-in to the First Lady’s Capitol visit. From the Associated Press:
Melania Trump on Monday lobbied on Capitol Hill for a bill that would make it a federal crime to post intimate imagery online, whether real or fake, and said it was “heartbreaking” to see what teenagers and especially girls go through after they are victimized by people who spread such content.
It was her first solo public appearance since she resumed the role of first lady on Jan. 20. She called on the Republican-controlled Congress to prioritize the well-being of young people.
“This toxic environment can be severely damaging. We must prioritize their well-being by equipping them with the support and tools necessary to navigate this hostile digital landscape,” she said during a roundtable discussion about the “Take It Down Act” at the U.S. Capitol.
There is a dovetailing here that renders the First Lady’s exclusion inexcusable. The call to awareness of the sexual exploitation of children is a laudable goal, and well in line with Sellers’ report.
One can’t help but think that if it were former First Lady Jill Biden visiting the Capitol and advocating for such a bill, it would garner instant coverage. But there is no such media deference for Melania Trump, who appears to draw the same media blackout as she drew during the first Trump administration.
There’s a clear (D)ifference, you see.
