U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan representing Florida's 16th Congressional District | Official U.S. House headshot
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan representing Florida's 16th Congressional District | Official U.S. House headshot
Congressman Vern Buchanan announced the introduction of two bills aimed at protecting children from modern and evolving online threats.
“If there’s one thing everyone can agree on, it’s the need to protect our vulnerable children and grandchildren,” said Rep. Buchanan. “While the rise in artificial intelligence (AI) brings countless potential benefits, I am deeply disturbed by the drastic increase in threats against children, such as the rise of so-called ‘revenge porn’ and skyrocketing instances of sexual abuse and exploitation. I am pleased to help introduce these commonsense solutions to help protect our children and am hopeful Congress will pass both with broad bipartisan support.”
The first bill, titled the Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Network (TAKE IT DOWN) Act, was introduced with Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA). This bill criminalizes the production of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), commonly known as 'revenge porn,' and mandates websites to promptly remove these harmful images upon notification.
The second bill, named the Stop Crimes Against Children Act, was introduced with Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH). It requires collaboration between nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, and the Department of Justice’s National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction. The legislation aims to ensure that communities utilize a comprehensive range of expertise and resources alongside government agencies to safeguard children.
The National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction was established by Congress in 2008. It mandates that the DOJ create an annual strategy with long-term goals to prevent child sexual abuse, trauma, and exploitation.
The Stop Crimes Against Children Act has received endorsements from the University of New Hampshire Crimes Against Children Research Center and the Zero Abuse Project.
Congressman Buchanan has been active in efforts to protect children from abuse. He previously introduced the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention Training Act (H.R. 623), which aims to combat human trafficking through educational initiatives targeting students.
Last year, Buchanan reintroduced the CREEPER Act 2.0 (H.R. 2877), which seeks to ban the sale of sex dolls resembling children. This legislation followed a report by NBC 6 in Miami about a lifelike doll resembling a real girl being sold online without consent from her family.
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