Harrisburg, Pa. – October 3, 2025 – Today, State Sen. James Andrew Malone (D-36, Lancaster) announced that he has introduced a law to protect minors by demanding mandatory reporters such as school personnel, by requesting mandatory reporters, such as school personnel, by requesting sexually explicit reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory reporters, by requesting mandatory report State Legislature Nikki Rivera (D-96, Lancaster) introduced companion laws at PA House.
In 2023, 48 female students and 12 other girls from Lancaster Country Day School were victims of sexually explicit deepfark images generated by two male students using AI. School officials were notified of the abuse but did not report it to law enforcement for several months, revealing a significant gap in Pennsylvania’s mandatory reporting law.
In response to outreach from one of the victims and her family, Senator Malone introduced a law entitled “The Essential Guidance of Enforcement: The Closing Gap of Reporting in Title 23” (SB 1034). The bill will protect children by amending the Child Contact Section of Pennsylvania’s Mandatory Reporting Act. This closes the reporting gap and ensures that all cases of child sexual abuse images are recognized and reported immediately to the appropriate authorities.
“With the rapid development of AI, the threat to children online is constantly evolving,” Senator Malone said. “Sexually explicit AI deepfakes are a real danger to children and the law needs to be modernised to address this threat. My law is a common sense update to the state of Pennsylvania’s mandatory reporting requirements that will help protect children by guaranteed instances of ai deepfakes that have been sexually clarified by other minors to be reported to the appropriate authorities.”
Under Pennsylvania Title 23, all school staff must report child abuse. However, children who share sexually explicit material from other children, such as sexually explicit AI deepfakes, do not currently fall under the legal definition of abuse.
“Now is the time to update mandatory reporting laws to protect children in this new digital environment created by AI,” state Representative Rivera said. “This update will take seriously the long-term damage caused by deepfakes generated by minor sexually explicit AI-generated minors, ensuring cases that involve the spread of this content are addressed soon.”
According to a Thorn study, one in eight teens knows someone who has experienced deep AI, and technological advances only add to this threat. This Act ensures that all child sexual abuse images are reported to the appropriate authorities in the school setting.
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