Gov. Meyer signs two child safety bills

Gov. Matt Meyer ceremonially signed two child safety bills Oct. 10, that aim to strengthen Delaware’s safeguards against sexual extortion and support greater parental access to deceased children’s digital records.

“These bills are inspired by two young men whose lives were tragically cut short because of online sexual exploitation,” Meyer said to an audience of students, faculty, stakeholders and lawmakers at Sussex Academy in Georgetown. “In the aftermath, their families turned their pain into purpose.”

Senate Bills 142 and 143, which were sponsored by Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, R-Georgetown, and Rep. Kimberly Williams, D-Marshallton, passed unanimously through the Delaware House and Senate.

“To see two major child  protection bills move from idea to law in just 10 months is truly remarkable and almost unheard of,” said Hannah Cesner, director of strategy and advancement at Zoe Ministries of Delaware. “It shows what can happen when legislators, families and service providers come together with one shared mission: to keep children safe.” 

SB 142, or Gavin’s Law, increases the penalty for sexual extortion in specific cases and requires schools to educate employees, students and families about the dangers and warning signs of sexual exploitation. 

It reclassifies sexual extortion as a Class B felony, punishable by up to 25 years in prison, in cases where the defendant is an adult and the victim is a child or vulnerable adult, and where the victim suffers serious physical injury or death as a result of the crime. Previously, the offense was a Class E felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.

Gavin’s Law, first adopted in South Carolina in 2023, honors Gavin Guffey, a 17-year-old who tragically and unexpectedly ended his life after being sexually coerced and threatened online.

“I felt like he was living his best life, and then he became a victim of sextortion,” said Gavin’s father, Brandon Guffey, a South Carolina Republican state representative. “It was July 27, 2022. He jumped off video games with friends by midnight, and by 1:40 a.m., he had taken his life.”

Rep. Guffey channeled his grief into action, working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to pass Gavin’s Law.

“Your strength in the face of unimaginable loss has brought hope and protection to countless families across the country,” Pettyjohn said, looking to Guffey. “Because of your dedication, and because of Gavin’s story, other children will be spared harm.”

The other bill, SB 143, or Braden’s Law, expedites court access for parents or legal guardians seeking a deceased minor’s digital records. It establishes that if a deceased minor’s parent or guardian needs a court order to access their child’s digital accounts, the court must aim to resolve the application within 30 days.

The bill, first adopted in Ohio in April, honors Braden Markus, an Ohio high school student who took his own life after being coerced into sharing sensitive photos online and threatened with release of the photos on social media if he did not pay money.

After Braden’s death, his parents were denied access to his personal cellphone records, putting them through months of agony and unanswered questions.

“Senate Bill 143 [ensures] that if tragedy occurs, and a young Delawarean loses their life, their parents are not left in the dark,” Meyer said. “It gives families quicker access to their child's digital accounts so they can get closure and begin the healing process. No family should have to fight in court for answers in the midst of their grief.” 

Community advocacy groups like the Delaware Anti-Trafficking Action Council, represented at the signing by Executive Director Sara Poore, and the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence were central to moving the legislation forward.

Also in attendance were Sen. Dave Wilson, R-Lincoln; Sen. Bryant Richardson, R-Seaford; Rep. Valerie Jones Giltner, R-Georgetown; Rep. Alonna Berry, D-Milton; retired Delaware Superior Court President Judge Jan Jurden; and several municipal officials, including those from Georgetown, Lewes, Bethany Beach and Millville.