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By Kayla DeKraker
President Donald Trump made history earlier this week when he signed the Take It Down Act, which criminalizes the publication of non-consensual intimate imagery and protects kids from exploitation, into law.
Here’s what parents should explain to their kids about the law.
“I want to thank my husband, President Trump, for standing with us on this effort,” First Lady Melania Trump, who championed the bill, said during the signing ceremony on May 19. “Through the Take It Down Act, we affirm that the wellbeing of our children is central to our future of our families in America.”
The new law will mandate all social media platforms remove inappropriate images and explicit content within two days of being reported. This includes deepfake revenge pornography, AI-generated images that are sexual in nature.
Consequences for those who don’t abide by the law will be severe.
“Violators are subject to mandatory restitution and criminal penalties, including prison, a fine, or both,” the bill explains. “Threats to publish intimate visual depictions of a subject are similarly prohibited under the bill and subject to criminal penalties.”
“The TAKE IT DOWN ACT is an historic win for victims of revenge porn and deepfake image abuse,” said Senator Ted Cruz, who introduced the bill. “Predators who weaponize new technology to post this exploitative filth will now rightfully face criminal consequences, and Big Tech will no longer be allowed to turn a blind eye to the spread of this vile material.”
However, social media giants are not the only one at risk for criminal punishment. Anyone, including young people, who create and post such content can also suffer consequences.
Related: Will This Act Help Protect Children From Sexual Content Online?
In a Facebook post, Officer Gomez advises parents to talk to their kids and teens about the consequences for putting content like this online. Gomez offers digital safety tips for today’s parents.
“This new law could land your teens in federal court,” he said.
He continued, “Many teens think it’s funny to create AI nudes of classmates and share them with others. While some states have been able to arrest using state laws, all states can now arrest using federal laws. If your teen shares a real-life nude photo of anyone (juvenile or adult) they could be subject to this law as well.”
He noted that, unfortunately, this is a common problem.
“Teens share nudes of others far more than you think. This is a serious conversation to have with your 5th graders on up as it can land them in serious trouble,” he said.
Although much more work needs to be done, the Take It Down Act is a great step in the right direction to protect children online.
Read Next: California Passes Sweeping Social Media Law Focused on Child Safety
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