Support the STOP CSAM Act for Child Survivors

The Senate has added the STOP CSAM Act to its version of the National Defense Authorization Act—but it’s not law yet. Together, we can change that.

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It’s not “child porn.” It’s CSAM. And it’s a crime.

CSAM stands for “child sexual abuse material”: images, videos, and other content depicting a child being sexually abused or exploited.

Tell Congress to Pass the STOP CSAM Act

Child sexual abuse is depicted in tens of millions of online images and videos every year. This bill opens new avenues of justice. Tell lawmakers to act now.

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#NoMoreExcuses

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Child survivors shouldn’t have to fight alone.

We’re building a community of people who will speak up for survivors—and we want you in it.

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Why the Stop CSAM Act Matters

195M

The CyberTipline has received more than 195 million reports related to CSAM since 1998.1National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. (n.d.). Child sexual abuse material. Retrieved October 29, 2026, from https://www.missingkids.org/theissues/csam

260x

In 2025, the IWF found 3,443 AI-generated child sexual abuse videos—that’s 260 times more than in 2024.2Internet Watch Foundation. (2026). Annual data & insights report 2025: Executive summary. https://www.iwf.org.uk/annual-data-insights-report-2025/executive-summary/

1 in 17

1 in 17 teenagers say someone created deepfake nudes of them. 3Thorn. (2025). Deepfake nudes & young people: Navigating a new frontier in technology-facilitated nonconsensual sexual abuse and exploitation. https://www.thorn.org/research/library/deepfake-nudes-and-young-people/ (summarized in Thorn, 2025, March 3, Deepfake nudes are a harmful reality for youth: New research from Thorn, https://www.thorn.org/blog/deepfake-nudes-are-a-harmful-reality-for-youth-new-research-from-thorn/)

What the STOP CSAM Act Would Do

The bill is long. Here are the parts that would matter most to survivors:

#1: Let Survivors Take Platforms to Court

Survivors could bring a federal lawsuit against an online platform or app store that intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly promotes, hosts, stores, or distributes child sexual abuse material.

  • Survivors could seek actual damages or $300,000 in set damages, plus attorney’s fees. Courts could also award punitive damages and order a platform to stop.
  • There would be no time limit for filing. 
  • The bill states that Section 230, the law that shields many online services from liability for user content, cannot be used to block these claims. 
  • The bill also includes guardrails: Platforms that remove material within 48 hours of learning about it (two business days for smaller platforms) would have a defense in hosting cases. Courts could sanction platforms that misrepresent their response.

What would change for survivors? Platforms would be held accountable in ways they haven’t been before, and survivors could seek justice in court.

#2: Strengthen How Platforms Report Abuse

Federal law already requires platforms to report apparent CSAM to NCMEC’s CyberTipline Opens in a new tab. The STOP CSAM Act would strengthen those rules. 

  • Tech companies would have 60 days to report apparent, planned, or imminent CSAM on their platforms, including evidence that someone is using the platform to induce, entice, or coerce a child to produce or send CSAM.
  • Reports would need to include details that help law enforcement identify and locate people, such as account and IP address information, when platforms have it. 
  • Platforms that knowingly miss deadlines or fail to preserve evidence would face fines. A first-time failure could cost up to $850,000 for the largest platforms and up to $600,000 for smaller ones. The amounts rise for repeat violations or when someone is harmed.

What would change for survivors? Tips would carry more useful information, so investigators would have a better chance of finding and helping children.

#3: Show the Public What Platforms Are Doing

  • The largest platforms (more than 1 million monthly users and more than $50 million in annual revenue) would file annual transparency reports on how they protect children, respond to reports, and design products for safety. 
  • The Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission would publish those reports, with some redactions.

What would change for survivors? The public would see what companies do—and don’t do—to keep children safe.

#4: Protect Survivors in Federal Court 

  • Survivors who were under 18 when a crime happened would keep privacy protections in federal court, even after they turn 18. 
  • A survivor’s name, address, phone number, online usernames, medical and mental health information, and school or juvenile records would be shielded from public disclosure. Courts could release them publicly only after meeting a strict four-part test. 
  • Survivors would have the right to bring a trusted adult with them to any court proceedings. 
  • The bill authorizes $25 million a year for guardians ad litem, who speak up for a child’s best interests in federal court. (Congress would still need to fund it. Authorization is not appropriation.)

What would change for survivors? Telling their story in court would not mean giving up their privacy.

#5: Help Survivors Get the Restitution They’re Owed

  • The bill extends mandatory restitution to additional related offenses (such as AI-generated CSAM) and lets courts appoint a trustee to manage payments for survivors who are under 18, incapacitated, or living abroad. 
  • When companies fail to report on time or transparently, the fines collected under the bill would go into the federal Child Pornography Victims Reserve. This federal fund would give CSAM survivors a one-time payment, so they don’t have to wait for offenders to pay restitution.

What changes for survivors? A court order would be more likely to turn into actual support.

FAQs About the STOP CSAM Act

Is the STOP CSAM Act already law?

No. Senators have added it to the Senate’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act, and leaders are negotiating the final bill. Both chambers would need to pass the final bill, and the president would need to sign it.

How is this different from the TAKE IT DOWN Act?

The TAKE IT DOWN Act addresses nonconsensual intimate images, including those of minors. The STOP CSAM Act goes further. It would let survivors sue platforms, strengthen how companies report abuse, require public transparency reports, and expand privacy protections in federal court.

Who supports it?

RAINN endorsed the bipartisan STOP CSAM Act on June 13, 2025. 

Its Senate sponsors include Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.). 

In the House, Reps. Moore of Alabama and Garcia of Texas introduced the companion bill. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Dick Durbin, who lead the Senate Judiciary Committee, have also advanced it as part of a defense bill package.

The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced it unanimously, according to its sponsors.

Does the STOP CSAM Act weaken encryption or privacy?

At RAINN, we take this question seriously. Some privacy and digital-rights groups have raised concerns about earlier versions of the bill. 

The current text says that using end-to-end encryption, not holding the keys to decrypt a message, or declining to weaken encryption cannot, on its own, be the basis for liability. Courts could still consider those facts as evidence of intent in a case. 

We believe protecting children and protecting privacy can go together, and we’ll keep listening to experts on both sides.

Will the STOP CSAM Act end the creation and distribution of CSAM?

No single law will end CSAM. The STOP CSAM Act is one piece of a larger effort that also includes prevention, education, support for survivors, and enforcement of existing laws.

What To Do If You See or Suspect CSAM Online

  • Don’t share, forward, or download it, even to document it. Doing so can cause more harm.
  • Save the details instead: the web address, account names, dates, and any messages or confirmation numbers.

How To Protect & Support a Child or Teen

  • Tell them that if someone pressures them to send or share images, it is never their fault.
  • Let them know they can come to you without being in trouble.
  • Make them aware that RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline is available 24/7 at 800.656.HOPE (4673) and RAINN.org/hotline.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you are not alone. RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support in English and en Español.

Call 800.656.HOPE (4673)
Chat at RAINN.org/hotline
Text “HOPE” to 64673

Get Help Now 

This page explains proposed legislation in plain language and is not legal advice. The bill’s text may change as negotiations continue. Read the current text on Congress.gov.

Legal Disclaimer: The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) website provides general information that is intended, but not guaranteed, to be correct and up-to-date. The information is not presented as a source of legal advice. You should not rely, for legal advice, on statements or representations made within the website or by any externally referenced Internet sites. If you need legal advice upon which you intend to rely in the course of your legal affairs, consult a competent, independent attorney. RAINN does not assume any responsibility for actions or non-actions taken by people who have visited this site, and no one shall be entitled to a claim for detrimental reliance on any information provided or expressed.

Last updated: October 29, 2026
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