STOP CSAM Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Senator Josh Hawley
In Committee
Summary
Would strengthen protections for child victims and witnesses. It would expand privacy rules and court procedures for minors, tighten restitution and trustee tools, and push online platforms to report child-exploitation content and face new liability.
Show full summary
- Families and children: Child victims and witnesses would get broader privacy protection and a presumption against public disclosure of identifying and medical records. Courts would be required to use multidisciplinary child-abuse teams and guardian ad litem input when assessing victim impact.
- Online platforms and app stores: Providers would have to report apparent child pornography to the CyberTipline as soon as possible and no later than 60 days, conduct affirmative searches for abuse, and file annual transparency reports if they exceed 1,000,000 monthly users and $50.0 million in revenue. Platforms could face civil damages, liquidated damages of $300,000, and criminal fines up to $1.0 million per offense with larger fines if serious harm results.
- Victims and courts: The bill would expand who can seek restitution and authorize courts to appoint trustees to hold and distribute payments for minors, incapacitated persons, or foreign victims and would allow controlled inspections of sensitive materials in civil actions.
*Would authorize $25.0 million and $15.0 million per year for courts and restitution trustees, increasing federal spending by about $40.0 million annually and directing collected fines into the Child Pornography Victims Reserve.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
New lawsuit rights for victims
This bill would create a new federal civil right letting victims sue interactive online services or app stores for intentional, knowing, or reckless promotion or hosting of child sexual-exploitation material. A successful plaintiff could recover actual damages or $300,000 in liquidated damages, plus costs and reasonable attorney fees. There would be no statute of limitations and section 230 would not preclude these claims. Providers get a removal/disablement defense if they take down material within 48 hours, or within 2 business days for providers averaging under 10,000,000 monthly U.S. users.
More restitution and court support
This bill would expand restitution and victim supports in child-pornography cases. For production convictions, courts would order $3,000 restitution, or 10% of a victim's full losses if those losses are under $3,000. Courts could appoint trustees to hold and manage restitution for minors, incapacitated victims, and certain foreign victims, and the court would set trustee duties and fees. The bill would authorize $15 million a year for courts to run trustee programs and $25 million a year for victim-impact presentence work. Civil and criminal fines collected would be deposited into a Child Pornography Victims Reserve to help victims.
New platform reporting and transparency
This bill would require online services to scan for child sexual exploitation and file CyberTipline reports to NCMEC no later than 60 days after they learn of it. Large providers (more than 1,000,000 monthly users and over $50 million revenue) would also file an annual safety transparency report starting not later than March 31 of the second year after enactment. NCMEC would share reviewed reports with appropriate law enforcement, and the Attorney General and FTC Chair would publish provider reports but could redact sensitive or trade-secret information. The bill would preserve legal immunity for good-faith reporting and research in most cases but would remove immunity for knowing noncompliance or unlawful sharing.
Stronger court protections for victims
This bill would let courts impose sanctions on parties, lawyers, or firms that bring two or more bad-faith suits or defenses in these cases. It would clarify that other federal, State, and Tribal remedies remain available and would not be preempted. Suits under the new statute could be filed in any federal district that meets normal venue rules, and defendants can be served where they live or can be found. Covered child witnesses could be accompanied by an adult attendant, and attendants who are close to or touch a child while the child testifies would be video recorded for the court record.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Josh Hawley
MO • R
Cosponsors
Richard Durbin
IL • D
Sponsored 5/21/2025
Amy Klobuchar
MN • D
Sponsored 5/21/2025
Chuck Grassley
IA • R
Sponsored 5/21/2025
Mark Kelly
AZ • D
Sponsored 5/21/2025
Katie Britt
AL • R
Sponsored 6/2/2025
Ashley Moody
FL • R
Sponsored 6/10/2025
Cindy Hyde-Smith
MS • R
Sponsored 6/10/2025
Richard Blumenthal
CT • D
Sponsored 6/26/2025
John Kennedy
LA • R
Sponsored 9/18/2025
Ruben Gallego
AZ • D
Sponsored 9/29/2025
Jeanne Shaheen
NH • D
Sponsored 9/29/2025
James Lankford
OK • R
Sponsored 3/2/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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