BL2026-1450 Substitute

The following CouncilConnect post was requested by CM Cortese, pertaining to the substitute on BL2026-1450.

From CM Cortese:

Colleagues, 

I want to provide some context around BL2026-1450 and the substitute I submitted on Friday.

The Keep Kids Safe Online Act is really about getting ahead of a threat that a lot of parents and families still don’t know exists.

There are violent online networks actively targeting vulnerable young people through social media, gaming platforms, messaging apps and other places where our kids spend time online. They can start by simply befriending a young person and gaining their trust. From there, the FBI has documented the use of manipulation, coercion and blackmail to push kids toward self-harm, sexual exploitation, animal cruelty and, in some cases, violence against others.

And this isn't some abstract threat happening somewhere else. We have seen its potential impact right here in Nashville. Investigators found that the Antioch High School shooter was involved in these online extremist communities and had connections to groups including 764 and Maniac Murder Cult. Investigators have also said they believe online “handlers” were encouraging him toward violence. That tragedy is one of the reasons I believe we need to better understand what is happening in these online spaces.

The numbers are alarming. In 2025, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received more than 3,000 reports of sadistic online exploitation involving violent online groups targeting children, an increase of more than 125% from the year before.  And as of February 2026, the FBI was investigating more than 450 people nationwide connected to 764-related violent online networks.

What this bill does is pretty straightforward. It brings together the Metropolitan Human Relations Commission, MNPD, the Office of Youth Safety, Metro Schools, Juvenile Court and community partners to raise awareness and make sure parents, educators and young people have better information about what these networks are, how they operate and what warning signs to look for so they have a better chance to intervene before a situation escalates.

And this isn't a static threat. Technology changes quickly, and so do the platforms, terminology and tactics these groups use. This initiative is designed to evolve with those threats, keeping our families, schools, law enforcement and youth-serving agencies informed as the threat changes.

This isn't about creating a new enforcement mechanism. It's about putting the right people around the table, sharing information across agencies, and building an ongoing public awareness initiative to help improve prevention and make sure Metro can keep pace as these threats and tactics evolve.

Mike