Senator Strickland and Sheriff Barnes after the passage of SB 1015. Click here to listen to Senator Strickland's opening remarks
Senator Tony Strickland (R-Huntington Beach) is pleased to announce that his legislation, Senate Bill 1015, the Protecting Our Children from Online Extortion Act, has passed unanimously out of its first committee hearing with strong bipartisan support, marking a critical step forward in protecting children from rapidly evolving and increasingly dangerous forms of online exploitation.
“As a father of two, I am concerned about their screen time and the dangers lurking online,” said Senator Strickland. “These predatory and online networks are organized, active, and specifically targeting children. My bill ensures our laws evolve as quickly as these crimes, so we can protect kids in the digital age.”
SB 1015 directly addresses the rise of predatory online networks that target minors through platforms such as gaming sites, social media, and messaging apps. These criminal networks use manipulation, coercion, and intimidation to exploit vulnerable children and force them into cycles of abuse, including sextortion, self-harm exploitation, and recruitment of other victims.
Recent data underscores the urgency of this issue. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported a 115% increase in sadistic online exploitation between 2024 and 2025, while research from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue shows a significant portion of these cases involve coercion into self-harm and child sexual abuse material.
Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes is a proud sponsor of SB 1015. He testified in support of SB 1015 during its first committee hearing.
“SB 1015 is getting ahead of the trend and gives law enforcement the tools needed to go after those orchestrating these crimes and to intervene before more children are victimized. This is a necessary and timely legislation to protect our communities,” said Orange County Sheriff Barnes. “My department has begun to see a spike in these types of crimes and has been working with Senator Strickland to strengthen our laws against online predators.”
SB 1015 closes a gap in existing law by:
Creating a new offense for adults who recruit, direct, or coerce a minor to harm or exploit another child.
Providing law enforcement with tools to prosecute individuals who attempt to shield themselves by operating through minors.
Establishing accountability and intervention for minors who knowingly engage in serious coercion, extortion, and exploitation of other children.
By modernizing statutes to reflect current criminal tactics, SB 1015 ensures that those driving exploitation, whether acting directly or through other minors, will be held accountable.
“This legislation sends a clear message,” Senator Strickland added. “Adult predators cannot hide behind a computer screen and a child to commit a crime.”
SB 1015 will now be up in the Senate Appropriations Committee.