Senators Grassley and Durbin introduce new legislation aimed at protecting children from online predators and addressing the urgent need for updated online safety measures following the tragic case of a young victim.
by KRISTINE FRAZAO | The National News DeskWASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 19: Charles Grassley leaves the Senate Republican policy luncheon on November 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. Senators were asked about the next steps after both the House and Senate passed a resolution to have the Department of Justice release all the information it has about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
They're often bullied, extorted, or even encouraged to kill themselves, with the consequences for the criminals outdated or unclear. "We must bring the same sense of urgency to protecting kids in the virtual world as we do in the real world," DurbinThat virtual world is home to dangerous crimes that often start with a predator making a young person feel safe, as in the case of 17-year-old James Woods. "A woman online befriended James on Instagram and created a safe space, made him feel comfortable and groomed him. Then she asked if he wanted to see her unclothed and exposed herself. She asked him to do the same, and like any innocent 17-year-old boy who liked a girl and saw no danger, he did," said Tamia Woods, the victim's mother. She detailed to lawmakers how, in less than a day, online predators shared his images with friends, told him he’d be labeled a pedophile for the rest of his life and encouraged him to kill himself, which he did in November 2022. 19 1/2 hours is not a short time in the digital world. It is a lifetime. It is enough time for someone to intervene, to flag an account, to cancel messages to report this behavior. Yet no one stepped in. no system protected him. No platform stopped it. In an effort to change things, Senators Grassley and Durbin have introduced three pieces of legislation: the Ending Coercion of Children and Harm Online"Those guidelines just don’t work anymore. They were counting offenses by the number of photographs. It makes no sense when we’re talking about the technology of today. And the videos that are involved those guidelines just don’t work anymore. They were counting offenses by number of photographs. It makes no sense when we’re talking about technology of today, and the videos that are involved," Durbin said. "Not only has technology changed, but today’s online offenders have changed as well. Today’s online offender is more violent and more cruel and more shocking than offenders just 20 years ago." Grassley said, which is "where an offender blackmails a child for money or gift cards in exchange for not distributing nude or explicit images of the child," according to Lauren Coffren, the Executive Director of the Exploited Children Division with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. "One current sextortion trend targets boys between 14 and 17 years old. Adult predators pretending to be young girls feign romantic interest in the boys on gaming platforms, apps and social media sites. It starts simply enough: A teen responds to an online request to expose parts of their body on a webcam or send a nude photo to a new online “friend.” The next thing the teen knows, their new friend threatens to expose them by publicizing the photos — unless they pose for more explicit photos or send money.", includes targeting young people and getting them to engage in sex acts, perform self-harm and violent acts against animals or their own siblings. "These offenders lure children into online relationships then terrorize them with rapid-fire threats to kill the child’s family or disclose personal information if they don’t comply with their demands," Coffren explained.for Online Enticement of Children for Sexual Acts soared to more than 546,333 in 2024, a 192% increase from 2023.A man died after he was struck by a garbage truck early Tuesday morning.Kevin Courts, 52, was standing on Corr Road, near Lockbourne Road, just after 4 a.m.ThatOhio town left in dark after thieves steal 4,000 feet of power line wire 'What we have been told has been ripped out of underground conduits between the different street lights.'The changes stem from House Bill 96, which was signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine in June.
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