Understanding the Purpose of Florida House Bill 757: Protecting Against Nonconsensual Image Sharing

By Oscar Pinto

Stock image on Unsplash

Students were already talking before first period even began.

A rumor spread quickly through the halls, phones lit up with alerts, and a name kept resurfacing in every conversation. By mid-morning, a student realized why the attention had shifted toward them. An AI-generated nude image, created without their involvement, was circulating across campus and being viewed by classmates who had no idea it was fake.

This situation shows how serious digital manipulation and nonconsensual image sharing have become. To address these problems, Florida passed House Bill 757, signed on Oct. 1, 2025. The law makes it illegal to create, share, solicit, view, or promote nude or sexually explicit images of an identifiable person without their consent, including AI-generated deepfakes or altered pictures.

To understand the law entirely, it helps to look at what it does, why it exists, and why it matters to teens.

What HB 757 Does

Florida House Bill 757 imposes penalties on people who create or spread explicit images without consent. These penalties are meant to protect victims and reduce exploitation.

Even with these protections, many teens do not know what the law says or even that the law exists. Many also do not realize how much emotional and social harm victims can experience. People who are targeted may deal with distress, social isolation, and long-term psychological effects. Learning about these impacts can build empathy and prevent harmful behavior.

Victims may face anxiety, depression, or loss of trust. These experiences can affect relationships, self-esteem, and even future opportunities, such as college admissions or employment. Understanding these results helps teens see why the law is essential.

In Depth: What HB 757 Covers

Rep. Mike Redondo and Rep. Jennifer Kincart Jonsson introduced HB 757 to address the rise of AI-generated deepfakes and the sharing of nonconsensual nude images.

“HB 757 aims to prohibit lewd imagery or depictions involving a child, whether real or digitally created, and ban generating or possessing altered sexual images of identifiable people without consent,” Jonsson said.

The law includes different felony levels:

Third-degree felony

Someone who possesses, controls, or intentionally views a nude image, views any child pornography, or creates an altered sexual depiction of a person can be charged with a third-degree felony. This includes using AI to generate nude images of someone.

Second-degree felony

Someone who has a nude picture of a person and intends to promote it without consent can be charged with a second-degree felony. It also applies to generating an altered sexual image of a person and intending to promote it.

Sentencing guidelines

Third-degree felony: Up to five years in prison and fines up to $5,000.

Second-degree felony: Up to 15 years in prison and fines up to $10,000.

The law applies to adults and teenagers.

According to a 2022 Thorn report, about 20 percent of minors ages 13 to 17 have shared nude or near-nude images of themselves, which makes this law especially relevant.

Why HB 757 Was Introduced

Jonsson explained that HB 757 was created to strengthen Florida's laws regarding sexual images involving minors and the creation or alteration of explicit photos without consent.

The bill came during the rapid growth of artificial intelligence tools that can create or change images, including ChatGPT, Meta AI, and Sora AI. Older laws did not address these technologies.

“HB 757 was formed to close that gap and prevent this form of digital exploitation,” Jonsson said.

Awareness Among Teens

Evin Diaz

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A recent school survey of the Columbus student body found that more than 90 percent had not heard of HB 757. If the law is meant to prevent digital exploitation, schools in Florida must improve awareness.

Even among the students who know about the law, more than 76 percent said they did not understand the consequences of spreading or promoting lewd images.

Teachers say this is not surprising. Students today read less, and many do not keep up with policy changes.

"Students will read more when they feel they can be readers, but many do not see school reading as relevant," according to the South Carolina Education Association.

This raises an important question: are schools and parents doing enough to educate teens about the risks?

Accountability and Education: Are Schools and Parents Doing Enough?

How these cases are handled often depends on law enforcement. Still, schools also play an essential role in educating students.

At Columbus, the administration brings in a public speaker every year to address online safety. This year, the school invited Ben Tracy, a nationally known speaker on youth online safety and social media. He spoke to students about the dangers of spreading lewd images and shared real stories to help them understand the impact.

Many experts believe that teaching about these topics should begin in middle school, when students are forming their identity and becoming more active online.

“The most significant gap is not with the students. It is with the parents. Parents are giving kids access to powerful technology far too young, when their brains are not ready for it,” Tracy said.

Daniella Rodriguez, a performance psychologist, explained that this can lead to issues such as eating disorders during the teenage years, when students may feel unsure about their identity and appearance.

Students themselves notice the lack of discussion.

One anonymous middle school student said these topics are rarely mentioned at his school and that many boys act irresponsibly. A high school student from a public school said his school has speakers on cyberbullying and drinking and driving, but not on lewd image sharing, which he believes is also essential.

Jonsson agreed that education is essential. 

She said, “Teenagers should learn that creating, sharing, or possessing explicit images, whether real or digitally altered, is a serious crime. Even if an image is fake, if it depicts someone identifiable or a minor, it can lead to felony charges.”

Emotional Fallout and Psychological Toll

The emotional impact on victims can be severe. People who experience this may feel humiliation, anxiety, and a loss of trust.

“These effects do not just hurt school or job prospects. They affect everything. Anxiety and depression can take over their entire life,” Rodriguez said.

Deepfakes make it harder for victims to prove that images are fake, and the emotional damage can lead to suicidal thoughts, distress, or long-term harm to their reputation.

“They also feel their parents will not understand because their parents did not grow up with these technologies. But parents do not need to understand every feature of an app to help. They know how to protect their kids,” Tracy said.

Rodriguez added, “The psychological toll is enormous. Many experience depression and anxiety, and we see a lot of body dysmorphia. They start to see their bodies differently than they really are.”

The Bigger Picture

Laws alone cannot prevent every harmful action, but they can limit how often such incidents occur. Teens still need to take steps to protect themselves.

It is essential to know that sharing nude images of a minor, whether real or AI-generated, is illegal. Basic safety habits can help, such as keeping accounts private, adding only people you know, following accounts that reflect your values, and using the grandma rule. That rule means if you do not want your grandmother to see it, you should not post or send it.

This leads to the larger question. Is fear of punishment enough to change behavior, or do education and empathy make a bigger difference? 

In a world where one click can change a life forever, understanding the weight of our actions matters more than ever.

Due to the nature of the article, student names were removed from quotes.