Coercion and Sexual Abuse Free Environment Act

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.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6732) to prohibit unlawful coercion of a minor, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on the bill.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the horror of child abuse and exploitation online continues to remain a significant problem across the country.

The Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance made combating child exploitation a top priority in the 118th Congress, and we continue to do so in the 119th Congress.

Unfortunately, criminals are continuously finding new ways to force minors to commit sexual or violent acts against themselves or others.

Violent online networks are methodically targeting vulnerable underage populations across the United States. These violent groups, often known as gore groups, target children and force them into unthinkable acts of violence against themselves, against others, and even against animals.

These groups use social media or other popular platforms such as Roblox or Discord to elicit private information or sexual images from minors, and they use that information and that material to blackmail victims into mutilating themselves or taking other violent action against friends, family members, or pets.

Many of these networks rapidly emerge, create alliances, and then quickly dissolve, making it difficult to determine leadership structure. Many criminal actors are located overseas, and many of these offenders are also minors themselves.

The most prominent example is the online extremist network known as 764. Mr. Speaker, 764 is a decentralized online network that glorifies violence and encourages participation in criminal activities such as sextortion and doxing. A disturbed young man, who has since been arrested and jailed, started the 764 network in 2020.

While decentralized, the group has grown into a vast array of online predators seemingly in a dark competition of who can manipulate children to commit the most violent acts.

In 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children,

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lee).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Harris).

I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Raskin for his helpful suggestions that will make this bill much better and has made it much better. I thank Ranking Member McBath for her support as well.

It is our desire to bring these malevolent-hearted people who are filled with evil and criminal intention to justice and to protect our children.

Madam Speaker, I urge the swift passage of this bill out of the House and the Senate and to get it signed and enacted, and I yield back the balance of my time.

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Malliotakis.) The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Biggs) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6732, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of H.R. 6732, the CSAFE Act, which creates a new crime to prohibit people from compelling children into physically harming themselves or animals.

Coercing kids online to hurt themselves or others is spreading harm that all of us need to take seriously. We have seen an alarming rise in episodes of this in recent years, and it has become clear that there is no Federal statute that effectively addresses this extreme misconduct.

Violent online groups have emerged on popular platforms geared toward children and teenagers. These groups, and individuals acting alone, encourage kids to commit horrifying acts, including cutting themselves, creating child sex abuse material, sexually exploiting other children, harming animals, swatting, doxing, and, in the most extreme cases, taking their own lives.

This happened to Jay Taylor, a 13-year-old who was struggling with an eating disorder, gender identity problems, and a sense of isolation. He found a connection on the online platform Discord. Members of 764, an online network that targets and exploits vulnerable young people, got their hooks into him and devastatingly coerced Jay into taking his own life while live-streaming.

The FBI agents who worked on his case repeatedly encountered roadblocks while attempting to get prosecutors to file charges in the case, with one U.S. attorney telling the agents that it simply was not possible to do anything.

The bill before us now, the CSAFE Act, seeks to address the shortcomings in existing Federal criminal law when it comes to investigating cases and prosecuting criminals who coerce and extort children online.

I thank the chairman for working with me to address some of the constitutional concerns I raised at our committee's markup of this legislation back in December of last year. I am very pleased to support this bill today, which I think is legally seaworthy and will survive any constitutional challenges.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Georgia (Mrs. McBath).

I have no further speakers, Madam Speaker. I will just restate my strong support for this legislation. I thank the distinguished gentleman from Arizona for bringing it forward. It is certainly a lot more fun to be with him on legislation than against him on legislation, and I am delighted we were able to work on this bipartisan bill together.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6732, the Coercion and Sexual Abuse Free Environment Act, and I thank my colleague from Arizona (Mr. Biggs) for his leadership on this critical issue.

Madam Speaker, as technology advances, so do the tactics of predators who seek to harm our children. Current Federal statutes were not written with this kind of remote, organized, and coercive abuse in mind. When the law lags behind the tactics of predators, Congress has an obligation to act.

We are now confronting a deeply disturbing trend in which organized online networks target vulnerable minors, manipulate them through fear and blackmail, and coerce them into committing acts of violence against themselves, others, or even animals.

These online groups use mainstream platforms to gain access to children, extract personal information or images, and then weaponize that material.

The result is severe psychological coercion and abuse--children forced into self-mutilation, cruelty to animals, or even suicide, all at the direction of anonymous criminals who often operate across borders and behind ever-changing online identities.

Our laws must be able to meet this threat head-on. H.R. 6732 does exactly that. This bill modernizes Federal criminal law by clearly criminalizing the coercion or enticement of a minor to engage in self- harm, animal crushing, or other abusive or degrading conduct.

This legislation closes dangerous gaps in current law and sends an unmistakable message: Compelling a child to destroy themselves or to harm others is child abuse. It is criminal, and it will be prosecuted.

Madam Speaker, protecting children is one of Congress' most solemn responsibilities. H.R. 6732 is a necessary, targeted, and responsible response to a real and growing threat.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, bad actors often prey on the most vulnerable: our children. It is our job to stand up for them. That is why I rise today in support of the Coercion and Sexual Abuse Free Environment Act introduced by my colleague and friend, Chairman Andy Biggs.

This bill will ensure accountability for anyone who intentionally compels a minor to engage in self-harm or other degrading acts. As child abuse continues in this country and takes many forms, prosecutors must have the proper tools to go after these predators.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Coercion and Sexual Abuse Free Environment Act.