‘Misleading’: Florida bill renaming ‘child pornography’ in statute clears first hurdle

A Florida bill replacing all allusions to “child pornography” in state statute with “child sexual abuse material” unanimously passed its first committee test on Tuesday.

Filed by Rep. Jessica Baker, HB 245 argues that applying the legal term “pornography” to images of sexually battered children is inappropriate, because children cannot consent to sexual activity.

“The current term is misleading. It implies a lawful form of pornography when, in fact, any sexualized depiction of a minor is a crime, and we must call it what it truly is,” Baker told the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee, speaking during one of the legislature’s six committee weeks.

“Using accurate terminology reinforces that this material is a serious crime against a child.”

Baker’s bill, which has an identical companion in the Senate, would align Florida with Pennsylvania and Louisiana, which have already adopted similar language. Delaware and Texas will take up these measures during their 2026 legislative sessions.

The bill takes direction from the Justice Department, which in 2023 published a memo noting that although the term “child pornography” still appears in federal law, officials prefer to use “child sexual abuse material” because it better reflects the crime, the Phoenix previously reported.

This is only the latest Florida legislation addressing child sexual abuse. During the 2025 session, Florida Republicans added human trafficking of minors as a crime eligible for the death penalty, building off a 2023, first-in-the-nation law expanding the death penalty to child rapists. In 2024, the Legislature created punishments for “grooming” children into sexual abuse.

The legislative session begins on Jan. 13.