Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law July 15 that asks an advisory board to the state’s Board of Education to consider providing recommendations for the health curriculum warning about the dangers of so-called sextortion for California public school students. The term refers to when someone obtains sexually compromising material and threatens to publish it.
Assembly Bill 2932, authored by Republican Assemblyman Joe Patterson, had no formal opposition and passed both houses this year unanimously.
However, the language of the bill does not specify any age range.
“The language of AB 2932 is consistent with how other additions have been made to the framework in the past,” Mr. Patterson told The Epoch Times.
It will require the commission to “consider including education on sextortion to ensure students know what to look for and how to get help,” he said.
Children may begin interacting with someone online whom they believe is their age, which makes them prone to letting down their guard. The child is gradually lured to share compromising pictures or videos, then the predator extorts them by threatening to publish the content online, or release it to their family members or friends.
Financial sextortion targets victims primarily aged 14 to 17, according to the bureau.
Awareness on the topic of sextortion is key in combating it, according to the bill’s co-author, Republican Assemblywoman Diane Dixon.
“It is important we provide the knowledge to identify potential wrongdoing and abuse so our children know there are resources and adults who can help them if they find themselves in an unfortunate situation,” she told The Epoch Times.
