Citizens to Prevent Child Sexual abuse: Federal Bills

Summary of Congressional Senate and House Bills to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation

updated 3/26/26

In Jan. 2024, the Congressional Senate Judiciary Committee held a public hearing on the crisis of online Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) and how X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, Snap (Snapchat), Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and Discord are contributing to the crisis and should improve their policies to protect children.

Currently:

• 13 bills are currently pending in Congress to prevent child sexual abuse
• 2 bills passed in 2024, 1 passed in 2025
• Several bills failed to pass in previous sessions and have not been re-introduced this session.

Download our Federal CSA Prevention Bills Summary.

Currently Pending Bills

1. The DEFIANCE ACT – Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act, S.1837

Sponsors: U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14), U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and U.S. Representative Laurel Lee (R-FL-15), and others.

Status: The U.S. Senate passed this Act in January 2026. It is currently held at the desk in the House. It was re-introduced by U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) after failing to pass the House in 2024.

Description: The bipartisan DEFIANCE Act would grant survivors the right to take civil action against individuals who knowingly produce, distribute, solicit and receive, or possess with the intent to distribute nonconsensual sexually-explicit digital forgeries (deepfakes).

In addition to Durbin and Graham, original cosponsors of the DEFIANCE Act in 2024 are U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Angus King (I-ME), Mike Lee (R-UT), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Peter Welch (D-VT), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Josh Hawley (R-MO).

In addition to Ocasio-Cortez and Lee, original cosponsors of the DEFIANCE Act are U.S. Representatives Kat Cammack (R-FL-03), Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17), Debbie Dingell (D-MI-12), Mike Lawler (R-NY-17), Ted Lieu (D-CA-36), Nancy Mace (R-SC-06), Max Miller (R-OH-07), Brittany Pettersen (D-CO-07), and Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ-02).

2. National Educator Safety and Accountability Act of 2025, H.R.6525

Sponsor: Rep. Hunt, Wesley [R-TX-38] (Introduced 12/09/2025)

Status: Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Description: To establish a national framework to prevent, detect, and respond to educator sexual misconduct, to create a National Educator Misconduct and Discipline Registry, and to create a Federal Task Force on Educator Sexual Misconduct, and for other purposes.

3. Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), S1748

Sponsors: Sens. Blumenthal (D-CT) & Blackburn (R-TN): + 75 Co-sponsors

Status: Previously S1409, passed Senate in 2024, failed to pass in House. Reintroduced in 2025. Enough Abuse has submitted a letter in support. Currently in the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Description:

• Requires social media companies to provides safeguards and tools for minors and parents and enable the strongest safety settings by default.

• Creates a duty of care for online platforms to prevent and mitigate harms to children.

• Creates a transparency standard by providing academic and public interest groups access to platforms data to review the harms identified and platforms’ responses.

NOTE: A section of a new federal bill, the KIDS Act, is also called the Kids Online Safety Act, but it does not contain any of these provisions and fails to protect children in any meaningful way. Enough Abuse supports the orginial KOSA, and opposes the KIDS ACT, described below:

Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act (KIDS Act, HR 7757), led by Rep. Brett Gutherie

OPPOSED by ENOUGH ABUSE, World Without Exploitation, NCOSE and Other Child Advocacy groups

(analysis provided by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, NCOSE):

• House Energy and Commerce Committee spent months designing a “Frankenstein” child safety bill, the KIDS Act, with heavy input from Big Tech lobbyists and lawyers.
• A section of the bill is labeled “Kids Online Safety Act” but it is not comparable to Senate KOSA because it deletes the legally operational and meaningful “Duty of Care” (even claims such a duty cannot be implemented) (pg 18)*
• It only requires Tech companies to create “policies and procedures” that they police themselves—the current unacceptable status quo! (pg 10)
• It applies to social media but not gaming platforms.
• It requires “actual knowledge” of any harm—an extremely high burden of proof. (pg 5)
• It explicitly says, platforms do not need to verify age of users. (pg 32)
• It includes multiple ways states are limited from passing strong laws.
• It allows chatbots launched by platforms like Meta to be used by kids without limit. (pg 49)
• Platforms may conduct product-focused research on minors if they claim it is to “improve safety” or “transparency.” (pg 42)
• It places extreme limitations on the right to challenge the Act. (pg 73)
  *page numbers from bill text on congress.gov: KOSA (https://www.congress.gov/119/bills/s1748/BILLS-119s1748is.pdf) and KIDS Act (https://www.congress.gov/119/bills/hr7757/BILLS-119hr7757ih.pdf)

4. SHIELD Act (Stopping Harmful Image Exploitation and Limiting Distribution Act), HR1218

Sponsors: Sens Klobuchar (D-MN) & Cornyn (R-TX): + 7 co-sponsors [4 Dem, 3 Rep]

Status: Re-introduced in 2025 as HR1218. Currently in House Committee on the Judiciary.

Previously filed in 2023 as S 412,  Passed Senate Judiciary Committee in  May 2023

Previously filed in House in 2023 as HR 3686, Reps Dean (D-PA) & Plaskett (D-VI): +7 co-sponsors [4 Rep, 3 Dem].

Description:

• Criminalizes revenge porn – sharing an intimate visual depiction of an individual without their consent

• Establishes a criminal offense for the distribution of a visual depiction of a nude minor with the intent to abuse, humiliate, harass, or degrade the minor to arouse any person.

• Subjects a violator to a fine, prison term of five years, or both.   

5. STOP CSAM Act (Strengthening Transparency and Obligations to Protect Children Suffering from Abuse and Mistreatment Act), S.1829

Sponsors: Sens Durbin (D-IL) & Hawley (R-MO) +4 co-sponsors [3 Rep, 1 Dem]

Status: Reintroduced in 2025 as S.1829. Reported favorably out of the Committee on the Judiciary in June 2025,  now before the Senate. No action since June 2025. Previously filed in 2023 as S.1199, Passed Senate Judiciary Committee on May 15, 2023

Description:

• Extends statutory provisions to include child victims of kidnapping and mandates child privacy protections continue to apply even after a victim is 18 years of age.

• Gives courts the authority to appoint trustees to manage victim restitution funds.

• Strengthens NCMEC’s CyberTipline by requiring a report whenever a provider finds CSAM, regardless of whether the provider believes a violation has occurred.

• Mandates providers report exploitive content within 60 days of becoming aware of content, and they must remove publicly available CSAM that is the subject of a report.

• Establishes a Child Online Protection Board to facilitate the removal of CSAM.

6.“Enhancing Necessary Federal Offenses Regarding Child Exploitation Act’’ or the ‘‘ENFORCE Act’’, S.3021 

Sponsors: Senator John Cornyn (R), Senator Richard Blumenthol (D), Senator Mike Lee (R), Senator John Kennedy (R).

Status: It passed the U.S. Senate unanimously, and is now “held at the desk” in the House.

Description: This bill would eliminate the criminal SOL for offenses involving “obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse,” which includesreal, computer-generated, and manipulated depictions covering AI-generated CSAM. It would expand federal child sexual abuse laws to cover AI-generated and deepfake images, making it illegal to create, share, or possess synthetic CSAM just like traditional material.

7. HR 5560 – Statutes of Limitation for Child Sexual Abuse Reform Act

Sponsor: Rep. Subramanyam, Suhas [D-VA-10]

Status: Introduced 9/2025, now in House Education and Workforce Committee

Description: If passed, this bill would incentivize states to eliminate civil and criminal Statutes of Limitations for child sexual abuse claims. It is currently in the House Education and Workforce Committee.

8. The Sunset Section 230 Act (Senate 3546, House HR6746)

Sponsors: Senate: Sen. Durbin (D) and Graham (R), House: Rep. Hageman, Harriet M. [R-WY-At Large]

Status: Introduced in Dec. 2025; Senate bill in Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, House bill in House Energy and Commerce Committee

Description: This bill would repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which gives immunity to online platforms from being sued for damages due to whatever occurs on their platforms. Sec. 240 would be repealed two years after the date of enactment of the bill, so that those harmed online could bring legal action against companies and finally hold them accountable for the harms that occur on their platforms, including child sexual exploitation and drug trafficking. Status: introduced

9. The James T. Wood Act: SAFE Act, ECCHO Act, and Stop Sextortion Act

In December 2025, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) introduced three bipartisan bills to hold violent criminals accountable and combat the disturbing rise in online child exploitation. These three bills are known as the James T. Wood Act, named for a high school student who tragically lost his life after experiencing sextortion.

Status: Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance these bills on Feb. 26, 2026

Information from the Senate Judiciary Committee:

The Sentencing Accountability for Exploitation Act (SAFE Act), Ending Coercion of Children and Harm Online Act (ECCHO Act) and Stop Sextortion Act would each address concerning developments in online child abuse by revamping federal sentencing laws, targeting online criminal networks and cracking down on offenders who use child sex abuse material (CSAM) to extort and coerce children.

• The Sentencing Accountability for Exploitation Act (SAFE Act)  SB 3394:

The SAFE Act would develop new CSAM sentencing guidelines that account for modern indicators of especially dangerous conduct. Some of these indicators – or aggravating factors – include: (1) if the offender participated in an online group dedicated to CSAM, (2) the length of time an offender was involved in CSAM, (3) the offenders’ use of software or technology to conceal their identity, (4) the offenders’ use of multiple platforms to engage in CSAM and (5) the number of victims.

The current CSAM sentencing guideline doesn’t consider modern aggravating factors, allowing some of the most nefarious child abusers to skate by with lesser sentences. However, because much of the current guideline was created through decades-old legislation, the Sentencing Commission is prohibited from updating the guideline without congressional action.

• The Ending Coercion of Children and Harm Online Act (ECCHO Act) SB 3397:

The ECCHO Act would create a new crime that prohibits individuals from coercing children into physically harming themselves, others or animals. The bill creates a penalty of up to life in prison if the offense involves the actual or attempted suicide by the victim or the death of another person, as well as a 30-year maximum penalty for harmful conduct that does not involve a death.

The U.S. has seen a recent and disturbing rise in online criminal networks – like Network 764 – that use synchronized group chats to coerce emotionally vulnerable children into engaging in abusive and degrading conduct (called violent online extremisim or nihilistic violent extremism). This conduct may include self-mutilation, online or in-person sexual acts, animal cruelty, acts of random violence, suicide and murder. Existing laws do not adequately address this extreme behavior, as there is no law that explicitly prohibits the coercion of children to hurt themselves or others.

The Stop Sextortion Act SB 3398

The Stop Sextortion Act would target offenders that threaten to distribute CSAM to intimidate, extort or coerce children. The bill would increase the maximum penalty for these types of offenses from five to 10 years.

In recent years, the U.S. has seen a significant increase in offenders who threaten to distribute CSAM to extort and coerce children – through both financially-motivated sextortion (FMS) and sadistic online exploitation (SOE). In the case of FMS, criminals trick children into sharing sexually explicit images and threaten to release those images if the victim doesn’t pay a ransom. Criminals who engage in SOE also trick children into sharing CSAM but threaten to release the images to compel victims to hurt themselves or others.

According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), in 2024 the number of reports concerning FMS increased by over 33%, and the number of reports concerning SOE increased by more than 200%. As of May 2025, FMS schemes have driven 40 American children to take their own lives.

10. TREY’S Law Terminating Restrictive Enforcement of Youth Settlements Law, SB3966

Non-Disclosure Agreements, or NDAs, are contracts where one or more parties agree to keep certain information confidential. Survivors of child sexual abuse are often compelled to sign NDAs as part of settlement agreements with individuals or institutions held responsible for the abuse.

NDAs perpetuate child sexual abuse by silencing victims, suppressing evidence and patterns of abuse, and keeping communities unaware of ongoing risks. This bill is named after Trey Carlock, who sexually abused and silenced by an NDA and later died by suicide. This bill is supported by Trey’s Law, The Phillips Foundaiton, and Enough Abuse.

Trey’s Law passed the Senate unanimously in May 2026 and now rests before the House.

Enough Abuse is also tracking state versions of Trey’s Law on this map.

BILLS PASSED AND SIGNED INTO LAW:

S. 146 The TAKE IT DOWN ACT –Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks Act

Passed and signed into law in May 2025.

This bill prohibits the nonconsensual online publication of intimate visual depictions of individuals, both authentic and computer-generated, and requires certain online platforms to promptly remove such depictions upon receiving notice of their existence. 

The bill prohibits the online publication of intimate visual depictions of

• an adult subject where publication is intended to cause or does cause harm to the subject, and where the depiction was published without the subject’s consent or, in the case of an authentic depiction, was created or obtained under circumstances where the adult had a reasonable expectation of privacy; or
• a minor subject where publication is intended to abuse or harass the minor or to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person. 

Violators are subject to mandatory restitution and criminal penalties, including prison, a fine, or both. Threats to publish intimate visual depictions of a subject (sextortion) are similarly prohibited under the bill and subject to criminal penalties.  

Separately, covered platforms must establish a process through which subjects of intimate visual depictions may notify the platform of the existence of, and request removal of, an intimate visual depiction including the subject that was published without the subject’s consent. Covered platforms must remove such depictions within 48 hours of notification. Under the bill, covered platforms are defined as public websites, online services, or applications that primarily provide a forum for user-generated content.

REPORT Act (Revising Existing Procedures on Reporting via Technology Act)

Passed – Signed into law in 2024

S 474, Sens Blackburn (R-TN) & Ossoff (D-GA): +4 co-sponsors [2 Rep, 2 Dem] – Passed Senate Judiciary Committee on June 6, 2023

HR 5082, Reps Lee (R-FL) & Lee (D-NV): +9 co-sponsors [6 Rep, 3 Dem]

Extends the retention period (of contents of reports of child sexual abuse material) required of platforms from 90 days to 1 year to allow for adequate time for law enforcement to conduct investigations.

Requires platforms to report child sex trafficking and enticement, two crimes not currently required that are underreported.

Increases penalties for platforms for failure to report exploitive content.

S.1174 – The Jenna Quinn Law

Passed – signed into law in 2024

S.1147, the Jenna Quinn Law was passed in Congress in 2024. This act amended the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) to allow the Department of Health and Human Services “to provide grants in support of training and education to teachers and other school employees, students, and the community about how to prevent, recognize, respond to and report child sexual abuse among primary and secondary school students.” This bipartisan bill was filed by Texas Senator John Cornyn and co-sponsored by Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Mike Braun (R-IN) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM).

BILLS THAT FAILED TO PASS:

Project Safe Childhood Act

Failed to pass, not re-introduced in 2025

S 1170, Sens Cornyn (R-TX) & Klobuchar (D-MN): + 19 co-sponsors [10 Dem, 9 Rep]

Passed Senate Judiciary Committee on May 15, 2023; PASSED Senate on October 24, 2023

HR 2661, Reps Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) & Hunt (R-TX): + 7 co-sponsors [5 Rep, 2 Dem]

• Modernizes DOJ’s Project Safe Childhood Program to address child sexual exploitation

• Require U.S. Attorneys to create high-priority, victim-centered, and district-specific targeting plans for federal law enforcement to identify perpetrators abusing children.

• Requires the U.S. Attorney General to develop best practices for addressing these cases

• Improves LE coordination with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Forces

• Provides funding for 20 DOJ prosecutors dedicated to child sexual exploitation cases.

EARN IT Act (Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act)

Failed to pass, not re-introduced in 2025

S 1207, Sens. Graham (R-SC) & Blumenthal (D-CT): + 23 co-sponsors [14 Rep, 9 Dem]

Passed Senate Judiciary Committee on May 15, 2023

HR 2732, Reps. Wagner (R-MO) & Garcia (D-TX): + 24 co-sponsors [20 Rep, 4 Dem]

• Clarifies Congress never intended CDA 230 to give ISPs blanket immunity from liability for facilitating CSAM—as US courts have unfortunately ruled.

• Gives victims of CSAM a path to justice and hold platforms accountable that knowingly allow for the distribution and sharing of child sexual abuse material.

• Renames “child pornography” “child sexual abuse material” in federal statute.

• Enhances tools for the National Center on Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and requires reporting of child sex trafficking and online enticement.

• Creates a federal Online Child Exploitation Prevention Commission to establish best practices and recommendations to inform policy, the judiciary, and law enforcement community (SENATE ONLY).

Preventing Child Sex Abuse Act

Failed to pass, not re-introduced in 2025

Introduced in 2023 as S 724, Sens Grassley (R-IA) & Ossoff (D-GA): +3 co-sponsors [2 Dem, 1 Rep] – Passed Senate on March 8, 2023; Approved as part of Senate NDAA package July 27, 2023

HR 454, Reps Burchett (R-TN) and Cuellar (D-TX)

• Makes changes to the federal law prohibiting child sexual tourism.

• Revises the specific intent requirement to one which requires proof of intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct when traveling or facilitating travel.

• Establishes new criminal offenses for acts in furtherance of illicit sexual conduct.

• Specifies that the term sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense does not require interpersonal physical contact.

Child Online Safety Modernization Act (COSMA)

Failed to pass, not re-introduced in 2025

Introduced in 2023 as HR 5182, Reps Wagner (R-MO) & Garcia (D-TX): + 23 co-sponsors [18 Rep, 5 Dem]

• Modernizes and strengthens NCMEC’s CyberTipLine by requiring online platforms to file a report whenever a provider finds CSAM, and requires those reports to include information that helps law enforcement identify and locate the child depicted.

• Extends the retention period required of platforms from 90 days to 1 year.

• Renames “child pornography” “child sexual abuse material” in U.S. federal code.

Stop Human Trafficking in School Zones Act

Failed to pass, not re-introduced in 2025

Introduced in 2023 as HR 30, Reps Jackson Lee (D-TX) & McCaul (R-TX): + 5 co-sponsors [4 Rep, 1 Dem]

• Provides necessary protections for children in public spaces, including schools, school-sponsored activities, playground, or public housing facility.

• Enhances the sentencing penalty by up to five years for human trafficking offenses and sex offenses involving minors that occur within 1000 feet of a school, or 100 feet of places where children gather.