By: Jana Garrett
U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have introduced three bipartisan bills aimed at holding violent offenders accountable and combating the alarming rise in online child exploitation. These proposals represent real, practical steps to make the internet safer for children and families.
- SAFE Act: Updates outdated sentencing guidelines so modern child exploitation crimes are punished appropriately.
- ECCHO Act: Makes it a federal crime to coerce children into harming themselves or others online, with severe penalties.
- Stop Sextortion Act: Strengthens penalties for predators who use threats with child sex abuse material to extort or coerce kids.
At a moment when online platforms are evolving faster than the laws meant to govern them, this bipartisan effort sends an important signal: protecting children is not a partisan issue. By modernizing sentencing, closing legal gaps around online coercion, and directly addressing sextortion, these bills aim to bring accountability into the digital age. Sustained bipartisan collaboration like this is essential—not just to respond to today’s threats, but to ensure our legal framework keeps pace with the realities families and children face online every day.