Contact:
Mara Powell
mpowell@kyyouth.org

Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates

LOUISVILLE, KY – As Kentucky kids learn and socialize increasingly in online spaces, it’s as important as ever to put safeguards in place to prevent and address exploitation and promote child safety. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in cases of online sexual extortion, or “sextortion” – where perpetrators use social media platforms, gaming sites, and messaging apps to target youth. Those predators often use threats of exposure to coerce their young victims into providing explicit content or money, leaving many children feeling ashamed and too scared to seek help.

Senate Bill 73, sponsored by Senator Julie Raque Adams, seeks to empower victims and prioritize prevention by establishing the crime of sexual extortion as a felony, including in the definition of a sex crime, giving victims a means to seek justice and recover damages, and requiring schools to increase awareness about the threats of sexual extortion among students and parents.

This morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee rightfully advanced this commonsense child safety legislation with unanimous support. With the Kosair for Kids Face It Movement, we applaud Senator Raque Adams for championing SB 73 so that perpetrators of sextortion are held accountable and communities are made aware of the risks to keep Kentucky children safe online.

Kosair for Kids Face It Movement shares more about keeping kids safe online in the Cyber Safety 101 resource.

Stay up-to-date on Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children priorities and other bills that are good for kids on our Kentucky General Assembly Bill Tracker.

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About Kentucky Youth Advocates
Kentucky Youth Advocates believes all children deserve to be safe, healthy, and secure. As THE independent voice for Kentucky’s children, we work to ensure policymakers create investments and policies that are good for children. Learn more at www.kyyouth.org.