Digital Child Abuse Cyber Tips Skyrocket in Montana: 230% Surge

Note: this article contains content that some readers may find sensitive. While there is nothing graphic, the subject references the sexual abuse of minors.

Nothing churns my stomach more than the subject of childhood sexual abuse. Of course, we take all of the normal steps responsible parents take to ensure the physical safety of our kids, but what they're doing online is a whole different can of worms. Digital predators are likely a far bigger threat to our kids than a random pedophile scooping up my kids in a shady van.

What is Montana House Bill 82?

The Montana legislature kicked off its 2025 session last week with a slew of bills introduced for debate, including House Bill 82 (HB 82). In a 1/9/25 press release from the Montana Attorney General's Office, the MT DOJ and AG Austin Knudsen praised the bill as a needed safeguard for Montana minors.

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HB 82, introduced by Representative Kathy Love of Hamilton, strengthens existing laws regarding the grooming of children. If passed, the proposed law(s) would:

Make grooming a child for sexual offense a crime under the state’s crimes against children statute;
Clarify that perpetrators can be charged with crimes against children as a result of a proactive law enforcement operation;
Allow for the prosecution of sex predators utilizing artificial intelligence to digitally alter images.

This Montana bill follows Congress enacting the REPORT Act in 2024, which "set national standards for reporting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and requires tech companies report text-based enticement of a child to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children", said the MT DOJ press release.

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Digital Sexual Abuse cyber tips skyrocketed in Montana in recent years.

The Department of Justice shared that the Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI) received 798 cyber CSAM tips in 2021. In 2024, they received a staggering 2,640 digital tips. A 230% increase in just four years.