ASSEMBLY BUDGET COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 4643

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 26, 2025

      The Assembly Budget Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 4643.

      As amended and reported, this bill provides that a person may be guilty of child endangerment through the use of social media.

      Under the amended bill, a person is guilty of child endangerment if via electronic communication that person knowingly acts in a manner likely to be injurious to the physical, mental, or moral welfare of a child less than 18 years of age or directs or authorizes a child to engage in an occupation involving a substantial risk of danger to the child’s life or health.

      The amended bill provides that violators would be subject to current child endangerment penalties, making this offense a second degree crime if the actor has a legal duty for the care to the child or has assumed responsibility for the care of the child.  For all other persons, it is a crime of the third degree.

      The penalty for a second degree crime is a term of five to 10 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $150,000, or both.  The penalty for a third degree crime is a term of three to five years imprisonment, a fine of up to $15,000, or both.

      As recently reported in the New York Times, convicted sex offenders and pedophilic predators are consuming prurient content posted to social media sites by parents seeking materialistic gain through the receipt of cash payments, products, and endorsements.  The subjects of these posts are children, the majority of whom are too young to have a social media account.  With this bill, it is the sponsor’s intent to provide law enforcement another tool to hold accountable opportunists responsible for exploiting children and exposing them to harm.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      These amendments clarify that the term electronic communications does not include an interactive computer service as defined by federal law pursuant to 47 U.S.C. s.230; nor does the term include a provider of telecommunications or information service as defined by federal law pursuant to 47 U.S.C. s.153.

      The amendments also reflect that the underlying law has been amended since the introduction of the bill.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      Fiscal information is not available at this time.