As a teenager, Paris Hilton was sent to a youth residential facility because of her challenges in school. While her parents thought she was at a “normal boarding school,” she was “force-fed medications and sexually abused by the staff.” Over the past several years, Paris has spoken out against the “troubled teen industry” and pushed for more oversight. Earlier in December, a bill she advocated for passed Congress. Now, Paris, 43, says she’s considering running for office in the future.
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After the bill passed Congress, she shared the news on Instagram.
The US House and Senate both voted to pass the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act. On December 18, Paris Hilton celebrated the achievement on Instagram. “Today is a day I will never forget. After years of sharing my story and advocating on Capitol Hill, the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act has officially passed the U.S Congress,” she wrote. “This moment is proof that our voices matter, that speaking out can spark change, and that no child should ever endure the horrors of abuse in silence. I did this for the younger version of myself and the youth who were senselessly taken from us by the Troubled Teen Industry.”
Later, she addressed “the children still trapped in these systems.” She wrote, “I will never stop fighting for you.”
The Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act passed, but Paris Hilton says she's not done yet.
The Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act calls for more oversight and transparency for youth residential programs. The goal is to “safeguard the health and well-being of vulnerable youths housed in these facilities,” according to its website. After the bill passed Congress, Paris said, “there’s definitely more to do,” per The Hill. The media personality plans to return to Washington, DC, and might even consider running for office in the future.
A reporter asked Paris if she could see herself running for office after this victory. “After coming here so many times over the past couple of years and seeing that my voice really can make a difference, and I can really shine a spotlight on things that are important around the world to make it a better place and safer for children, I can maybe see that happening,” she said.
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'The Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act is more than a bill — it’s a promise,' Paris said.
On December 19, Paris reflected on the act’s significance and what it means to her. On Instagram, she called it “a promise to protect children, hold abusers accountable, and dismantle systems that have harmed generations.” She also thought back to when she was “silenced, unseen, and subjected to unimaginable pain in institutional facilities” as a teenager.
“For years, I carried that trauma, believing no one would ever listen. But today, I stand here not just for myself but for every survivor who has ever felt powerless or unheard,” she wrote.
At the end of her post, she addressed survivors. “You are not alone,” Paris reminded survivors. “Your pain is real, but your future is yours to reclaim. Together, we’ve turned pain into purpose, and this is proof that love, light, and action can defeat even the darkest forces.”
Previously, Paris opened up about her personal experience in a youth residential program.
In June, Paris testified at the House Committee on Ways and Means hearing on Strengthening Child Welfare and Protecting America’s Children. At the time, she urged the congressional committee to consider: “What is more important? Protecting business profits or protecting foster youth lives?”
The troubled teen industry “sees this population as dollar signs and operates without meaningful oversight,” she told them. It’s something Paris experienced firsthand.
When her parents sent her to these facilities, they didn’t know about the horrific conditions. They were “completely deceived, lied to and manipulated by this for-profit industry,” she said.
Before the House passed the act, Paris shared an open letter on Instagram.
In the letter, she urged the House of Representatives to help “protect the most vulnerable among us.”
She vulnerably detailed her experiences as well. “As a teenager, I was sent to youth residential treatment facilities where I endured abuse that no child should ever experience,” she wrote. “I was physically restrained, sexually abused, isolated, overmedicated, and stripped of my dignity.”
“I was told that I didn’t matter, that I was the problem, and that no one would believe me if I spoke up — not even my family,” she continued. Elsewhere in the letter, she asked members of the House to “think about the children who can’t speak for themselves.”
