WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, as teen suicide rates are on the rise, Senator Ashley Moody announced she is introducing the Combating Online Predators Act to protect children from sextortion. Sextortion is a form of sexual exploitation in which perpetrators threaten to distribute private or sensitive images unless victims comply with demands for additional sexual content, sexual favors, or money. Children and teens are particularly vulnerable to these crimes.
Sen. Moody’s Combating Online Predators Act explicitly criminalizes intentional threats to distribute child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Under current law, sextortion has fallen outside existing CSAM statutes, forcing prosecutors to rely on patchwork charging theories that fail to reflect the gravity of these crimes.
Senator Ashley Moody said, “As parents of the first generation of online kids, it is important we protect them from the new threats they may face. My Combating Online Predators Act will ensure the monsters who engage in sextortion against our children are put behind bars. Congress needs to get off the sidelines and keep our kids safe, and I won’t stop until every perpetrator of this heinous crime is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Stranger danger is happening under your own roof – let’s pass my commonsense legislation and end this once and for all.”
Congresswoman Laurel Lee said, “Sextortion is a devastating crime that preys on fear, shame, and vulnerability—especially among children. When predators threaten to distribute explicit images of minors, the harm is real and often irreversible. Congress has a duty to ensure our laws keep pace with the tactics used by online predators, and this legislation closes a critical gap to protect children and deliver justice for victims.”
Reported sextortion cases in the U.S. has risen sharply—the FBI received nearly 55,000 reports of crimes related to sextortion and extortion, a 59% increase in the reports received a year earlier. Children are particularly vulnerable, with boys aged 14 to 17 most often targeted. In tragic cases, sextortion has led young victims to commit suicide.
Read full bill text here.
This bill is a companion to legislation introduced by Rep. Laurel Lee (FL-15), that has passed the House.
More…
- As Teen Suicide Rates Rise, Senator Moody Cosponsors Stop Sextortion Act to Protect Kids from Online Predators
- Attorney General Moody Warns About How AI Can Be Used to Target and Extort Teens
- Warning About Increase in Sextortion of Minors
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