Law Enforcement, Child Safety Advocates Call for Stronger Response to AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material

TRAPPE - Law enforcement officials and child advocacy organizations shared their support for strengthening laws and education about the harm artificial intelligence (AI) can bring to children during a public hearing of the Senate Majority Policy Committee hosted by Sen. Tracy Pennycuick (R-24) today.

Testifiers praised Senate Bill 1050, sponsored by Pennycuick, Sen. Scott Martin (R-13) and Sen. Lisa Baker (R-20), which would require mandated reporters to report all instances of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), including AI-generated images, they become aware of, as a commonsense step to protect Pennsylvania children from exploitation.

"Sadly, today our children are being targeted in new ways that weren't even possible just a few years ago. AI-generated CSAM, deepfake pornography, AI chatbots creating harmful content and online predators using technology to manipulate and exploit - this is the new reality," said Pennycuick. "It's imperative that we teach children safe internet practices so they can decipher what's real and what's fake. Today's public hearing helped us identify what new guardrails are needed to ensure our kids are safe online."

Angela Sperrazza, chief deputy attorney general of the Child Predator Section of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, called the bill essential to ensure Pennsylvania's laws keep pace with the realities of child exploitation in an increasingly digital and AI-driven world. She noted that the bill "sends a powerful and necessary message - Pennsylvania will not normalize the sexualization of children in any form."

Gabriella Glenning, assistant district attorney and captain of the Family Protection Unit at the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, shared her support for the bill, noting it "provides law enforcement with a mechanism to investigate, identify victims and perpetrators and pursue charges when appropriate."

Angela M. Liddle, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance, outlined the severity of the problem, stating "this blurring of reality and fabrication make it nearly impossible to tell which images depict real children and which are synthetic, yet both normalize abuse and feed the demand for it at the expense of our children."

Leslie Slingsby, CEO of services and operations for Mission Kids, described how current law creates uncertainty which "leaves gaps that offenders exploit, frustrates investigators and undermines our collective duty to protect children." She stated that the bill moves towards a "digital world that protects children's dignity as fiercely as their physical safety."

Video of the full public hearing and written testimony can be found on the Senate Majority Policy Committee's website.

CONTACT: Joshua J. Paul