The Pennsylvania Senate has approved legislation to create a new Task Force on Child Protection in the Digital Age, an effort aimed at strengthening protections for minors against growing online threats. The bill would direct the Joint State Government Commission to convene the task force at least once every two years to review Pennsylvania’s existing statutes, according to the memo. What the task force would doUnder the measure, the task force would: Review Pennsylvania’s existing child protection statutesExamine emerging digital technologies and online risksIdentify gaps in legal protections for childrenRecommend legislative or policy changes to the General AssemblyMeet at least once every two years to provide ongoing oversightGrowing digital threats Sen. Tracy Pennycuick, who introduced the legislation, said the bill is needed because technology is evolving faster than the laws meant to protect children. “The rapid growth of artificial intelligence, social media, algorithm-driven content, and digital manipulation has introduced new and increasingly complex threats to minors, including exploitation, exposure to harmful material, and adverse mental health impacts,” Pennycuick said. “As these technologies evolve, we must continually review and update our laws to ensure they provide strong, effective protections for our children.” Co-author of the measure, Sen. Scott Martin, said children now face online dangers that were nearly unimaginable just a few years ago. “Young people face threats online today that were unthinkable just a few years ago, from harmful chatbots to dangerously sophisticated sextortion and child trafficking schemes, to name just a few,” Martin said. “This new task force will help make sure we keep pace with new and emerging threats young people face every time they look at their phone or computer.” Measure builds on recent child protection lawsOfficials said the bill would build on recent legislative efforts to address digital harms to children, including: Act 125 of 2024: Combat AI-generated child sexual abuse material Act 35 of 2025: Classify deepfakes as digital forgery Senate Bill 1050: Strengthen reporting requirements for AI-generated child sexual abuse material Senate Bill 1090: Establish safeguards for AI chatbots accessible to minors Task Force on Child Pornography in 2021: Review weaknesses in existing law and recommend reforms, including updates to statutory language to better align with national standards. Next stepThe Task Force on Child Protection in the Digital Age measure will now head to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for consideration. Stay with WGAL for updates as we learn more. See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at https://www.wgal.com/upload.
The Pennsylvania Senate has approved legislation to create a new Task Force on Child Protection in the Digital Age, an effort aimed at strengthening protections for minors against growing online threats.
The bill would direct the Joint State Government Commission to convene the task force at least once every two years to review Pennsylvania’s existing statutes, according to the memo.
What the task force would do
Under the measure, the task force would:
Review Pennsylvania’s existing child protection statutesExamine emerging digital technologies and online risksIdentify gaps in legal protections for childrenRecommend legislative or policy changes to the General AssemblyMeet at least once every two years to provide ongoing oversight
Growing digital threats
Sen. Tracy Pennycuick, who introduced the legislation, said the bill is needed because technology is evolving faster than the laws meant to protect children.
“The rapid growth of artificial intelligence, social media, algorithm-driven content, and digital manipulation has introduced new and increasingly complex threats to minors, including exploitation, exposure to harmful material, and adverse mental health impacts,” Pennycuick said. “As these technologies evolve, we must continually review and update our laws to ensure they provide strong, effective protections for our children.”
Co-author of the measure, Sen. Scott Martin, said children now face online dangers that were nearly unimaginable just a few years ago.
“Young people face threats online today that were unthinkable just a few years ago, from harmful chatbots to dangerously sophisticated sextortion and child trafficking schemes, to name just a few,” Martin said. “This new task force will help make sure we keep pace with new and emerging threats young people face every time they look at their phone or computer.”
Measure builds on recent child protection laws
Officials said the bill would build on recent legislative efforts to address digital harms to children, including:
Act 125 of 2024: Combat AI-generated child sexual abuse material Act 35 of 2025: Classify deepfakes as digital forgery Senate Bill 1050: Strengthen reporting requirements for AI-generated child sexual abuse material Senate Bill 1090: Establish safeguards for AI chatbots accessible to minors Task Force on Child Pornography in 2021: Review weaknesses in existing law and recommend reforms, including updates to statutory language to better align with national standards. Next step
The Task Force on Child Protection in the Digital Age measure will now head to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for consideration.
Stay with WGAL for updates as we learn more.
See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at https://www.wgal.com/upload.