COLUMBUS, OH (WOWO) Ohio lawmakers are considering legislation that would expand penalties for child sex offenses and establish new criminal provisions for emerging forms of digital exploitation.

Senate Bill 393 would increase penalties based on the age of victims and the amount of child sexual abuse material involved in a case, while also creating felony charges for artificially generated abuse material, according to testimony reported in Columbus by WCMH.

The proposal is sponsored by Republican state senators Jane Timken and Nathan Manning and also seeks to provide prosecutors with additional options when addressing sexual conduct between minors, particularly involving digital images and messaging.

During committee hearings, child sexual abuse survivor Chris Graham described the harm caused by AI-generated imagery, stating that fabricated content still results in real-world trauma for victims, according to WCMH reporting.

Prosecutors from Ohio counties also told lawmakers that enforcement is becoming more complicated as defendants argue that AI-generated material is not real, according to the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association.

Data presented to the committee cited a rise in reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material from thousands of cases in 2023 to tens of thousands in 2024, according to the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association.

The bill would also allow prosecutors discretion to treat certain teen-related cases as misdemeanors instead of felonies depending on circumstances, while maintaining stricter penalties for more serious offenses.