House Bill No. 6737
Public Act No. 23-123
AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE CRIME OF HARMFUL
COMMUNICATION WITH A MINOR.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2023) (a) As used in this section:
(1) "Minor" means any person under eighteen years of age, or who
the actor reasonably believes to be under eighteen years of age;
(2) "Interactive computer service" has the same meaning as provided
in section 53a-90a of the general statutes;
(3) "Inappropriate relationship" means a relationship that is patently
offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole
with respect to what is a suitable relationship between an adult and a
minor; and
(4) "Harmful to the minor" means communication with a minor that
is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as
a whole with respect to what is a suitable form of communication
between an adult and a minor.
(b) A person, who is twenty-fiveyears of age or older, is guilty of
harmful communication with a minor when such person uses an House Bill No. 6737
Public Act No. 23-123 2 of 2
interactive computer service or text message to knowingly persuade,
induce, entice or coerce a minor, to: (1) Share a photographic or other
recorded image of the minor for the purpose of providing sexual
gratification to the person who requests that the image be shared, (2)
share a photographic or other recorded image of the minor, which the
person who requests the image then disseminates to one or more third
persons for the purpose of providing sexual gratification to such third
persons, (3) engage in any communication that is part of a pattern of
communication or behavior designed to form or maintain an
inappropriate relationship, or (4) engage in any communication that is
harmful to the minor.
(c) For the purposes of this section, a violation may be deemed to have
been committed either at the place where the communication originated
or at the place where it was received.
(d) Harmful communication with a minor is a class A misdemeanor.