Coercion and Sexual Abuse Free Environment Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. McBATH. Madam Speaker, I thank the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee for yielding.

I rise today in support of H.R. 6732, the Coercion and Sexual Abuse Free Environment Act, or, as we all call it, the CSAFE Act.

As technology has become more sophisticated, online threats against children have become more complicated, malicious, and sometimes deadly.

The harm has moved beyond just simple bullying. Today, groups of people online, like the so-called 764 network, seek out and coerce vulnerable kids to photograph, record, or live stream acts of violence or self-harm to the world.

Take, for example, a horrific case that happened just last summer on the online platform Roblox. Several people associated with 764 located in Tennessee allegedly used the platform to entice a 13-year-old, located hundreds of miles away in New Jersey, to carve the initials of each person into her leg and send the group pictures and videos of her self-inflicted wounds.

According to the criminal complaint, the content was shared with the leader of the 764 group, or the so-called boss, so that the perpetrators could become full-fledged members of the group.

Mind you, Roblox is a massive online platform that actually allows users to design, create, and play millions of different games. With roughly half of its user base being under the age of 13, the platform is used by nearly 90 million children every day and has repeatedly been found to be at the top of its class in safety features.

Just imagine the potential harm that could be inflicted on our children on platforms and websites that have subpar safety features.

Let's be clear. State and Federal prosecutors have brought charges in these types of cases. For example, on November 20, 2025, the Department of Justice announced that a grand jury returned an indictment charging a 20-year-old man in Maryland, who identifies himself as a member of the 764 group, with three counts of sexual exploitation of a child, three counts of coercion and enticement of a child, and one count of cyberstalking.

Still, there is no law that specifically prohibits the coercion of children to inflict harm on themselves or others, which sometimes makes it hard for prosecutors to pursue these charges.

The CSAFE Act is meant to fill in the gaps in our Federal law by creating a new crime that prohibits individuals from compelling, attempting to compel, or conspiring to compel children into physically harming themselves, others, or animals.

While the original bill considered by the Judiciary Committee raised several constitutional concerns, I am pleased to see that this bill before us today includes several improvements that address the concerns that we raised during our bill markup.

As the internet and online platforms continue to evolve and create new challenges that we have to deal with every single day, it is our job as policymakers to be responsive to those challenges, ensuring that these seemingly benign tools are not used for nefarious purposes. We must also make sure that our criminal justice system is capable of holding to account those who dare to exploit these platforms and these tools and prey on our children and cause harm to others.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues in this body to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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