Senator Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, opened a hearing on December 9, 2025, to address the issue of child safety online and the changing nature of offenders involved in child exploitation.
Grassley stated that technological advancements have changed how crimes are committed, particularly those involving child exploitation. He noted that "Gone are the days of ordering child exploitation material from overseas by mail. Now, child exploitation material is readily available online through various file-sharing platforms, through direct access to victims and domestic and international websites, and groups such as '764.'"
He described modern online offenders as being more violent than those in the past. "Today’s online offender is more violent, cruel and shocking than offenders just 20 years ago," Grassley said. He highlighted tactics used by offenders such as manipulation, extortion—commonly referred to as “sextortion”—and targeting younger children, sometimes as young as five or six years old.
Grassley explained that these offenders often exploit multiple victims and operate in secrecy within private online groups. He also mentioned that they frequently target vulnerable populations and disguise their identities to gain children's trust.
According to Grassley, current laws do not specifically address some of the most severe acts committed by groups like “764” or those who engage in sextortion. To address this gap, he introduced two bills: the Ending Coercion of Children and Harm Online Act (ECCHO Act), which targets groups encouraging children to commit violent acts; and the Stop Sextortion Act, aimed at holding individuals accountable for sextortion under existing child sexual abuse material laws.
Grassley also pointed out issues with sentencing for these crimes. "Finally, when offenders are convicted of child sexual abuse material offenses, less than one-third of cases are sentenced within the current sentencing guidelines," he said. He argued that existing guidelines do not reflect current offender behaviors.
To improve sentencing practices, Grassley introduced a third bill called the Sentencing Accountability for Exploitation Act (SAFE Act). This legislation would require the United States Sentencing Commission to update its guidelines for child sexual abuse material offenses to consider factors such as use of encryption or participation in online groups during commission of offenses.
"This bill will provide the much-needed guidance for the United States Sentencing Commission to overhaul the child sexual abuse material guidelines in a meaningful way to distinguish offender behavior," Grassley concluded.
