NEWS RELEASE: As Teen Suicide Rates Rise, Senator Moody Cosponsors Stop Sextortion Act to Protect Kids from Online Predators

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senator Ashley Moody is fighting to protect children from online predators and today announced she is cosponsoring the Stop Sextortion Act. The Stop Sextortion Act would make it a federal crime to threaten to distribute child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to intimidate, extort or coerce children. The bill would also increase the maximum penalty for these types of offenses.

Senator Ashley Moody said, "Today, children face threats like never before. We have seen shockingly drastic increases in sextortion-where criminals trick children into sharing explicit images and threaten to release the pictures if the victim doesn't pay a ransom. The effects are catastrophic, and young lives are being lost because of these heinous acts committed by sick individuals and even organized groups online. It is past time for Congress to get off the sidelines and start protecting our kids. Just as I did when I was Florida's Attorney General, I am fighting here in the United States Senate to keep our kids safe and put these monsters behind bars, where they can never again get to a child."

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the Stop Sextortion Act.

Read bill text HERE.

Background

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.

Senator Moody worked to stop sextortion as Florida's former Attorney General by issuing warnings to parents about the dangers of online exploitation of youth.

MORE…

• Sen. Ashley Moody on Fox News: Lawmakers push bills to hold social media companies accountable amid surge of teenage 'sextortion' suicides
• Warning About Increase in Sextortion of Minors
• Attorney General Moody Warns About How AI Can Be Used to Target and Extort Teens

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