Overview
- Judiciary Committee chair Chuck Grassley and ranking member Dick Durbin introduced the ECCHO, SAFE and Stop Sextortion Acts ahead of a Senate hearing on child online safety.
- The ECCHO Act would, for the first time, make it a federal crime to intentionally coerce minors to harm themselves, others or animals, with up to life in prison if a death results and up to 30 years otherwise.
- The SAFE Act updates sentencing for child sexual abuse materials by weighing factors such as involvement in online groups, duration of conduct, use of identity‑shielding tools, activity across platforms and the number of victims.
- The Stop Sextortion Act targets threats to release sexual images to force minors into payments or further abuse, addressing schemes that have increasingly targeted teen boys.
- Authorities cite scale and urgency, with NCMEC logging over 2,000 764‑related reports this year, the FBI probing more than 350 U.S. suspects and DOJ charging at least 35 people, while prior child‑safety bills have faced hurdles in Congress.