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Attorney General's office urges narrower language on proposed social-media child endangerment law
Summary
S1514, a proposal to criminalize child endangerment via social media, was placed for discussion only after the Attorney General's office warned the bill's language is broad and could criminalize ordinary conduct; sponsors agreed to refine statutory language.
S1514, which would create a penalty for child endangerment through social media, was discussed but not voted on. The committee heard a caution from the Attorney General's office that, as drafted, the bill's language is broad enough that routine acts (for example, arranging a summer job or other non-harmful activity) could be interpreted as creating "substantial risk to life or health."
"I think it's important that it has better is better tailored to focus on exactly what it's trying to get at because language it uses is pretty broad," said a representative of the Attorney General's Office, who asked sponsors to narrow the statute to the specific online conduct the bill intends to prohibit. Committee members and public commenters also raised the need to consider artificial intelligence and the mechanics of online conduct in any re-draft. Sponsors indicated willingness to work with stakeholders to refine the bill.
