BATON ROUGE (LA)
WWLTV [New Orleans, LA]
March 12, 2026
By Alyssa Curtis
“We’re catching the law up to the times,” Chief Deputy Attorney General Larry Frieman said.
Two bills moving through the Louisiana Legislature aim to crack down on the growing problem of artificial intelligence being used to create explicit images of children.
The proposals come after an incident WWL Louisiana extensively covered year in Lafourche Parish that drew statewide attention and exposed gaps in current laws surrounding AI-generated content.
School incident sparked legislative push
The issue gained attention after an incident at Sixth Ward Middle School in Thibodaux. A girl was expelled after allegedly hitting a boy on a school bus. According to reports, the boy and other students allegedly been showing classmates AI-generated nude images depicting several girls from the school and even some adults.
Two boys were eventually charged with unlawful dissemination of images created by artificial intelligence.
The case shocked many lawmakers and highlighted how quickly technology is advancing beyond current legal frameworks.
“We’re catching the law up to the times,” Chief Deputy Attorney General Larry Frieman said.
Two bills aim to update Louisiana law
Lawmakers are now considering two bills designed to address AI-generated sexual images involving minors.
Senate Bill 42, sponsored by Sen. Rick Edmonds of Baton Rouge, would expand existing laws on child sexual abuse material to include digitally altered or AI-generated images. The bill would add digitally altered photos to the list of prohibited child sexual abuse materials and broaden the definition of producing such images.
“Technology has advanced,” Sen. Edmonds said. “I think it’s necessary in the law we make certain to include [this] because technology continues to advance.”
A second proposal, Senate Bill 110, by Sen. Heather Cloud of Evangeline Parish goes further. Cloud’s bill would make it illegal to use images of children to train artificial intelligence systems that generate sexual abuse material. It would also clarify that prosecutors do not need to prove a real child was depicted in order to bring charges involving AI-generated images.
“The harm begins at the training stage,” Cloud said during legislative discussion. “Without the training language someone can argue, ‘I did not produce the image, AI did.’”
Family says proposals don’t go far enough
The family of the girl involved in the Sixth Ward Middle School case says they are glad lawmakers are addressing the issue, saying it’s a step. However, their attorney argues the proposed legislation still leaves significant gaps. According to the family’s lawyer, technology companies should also be held responsible.
“The software companies need to be held liable for what they’re doing,” Gregory Miller, the family’s lawyer said. “There has to be a mechanism to keep 13 year old kids from getting access to these programs.”
The girl’s father is expected to testify at the Louisiana Capitol next week as lawmakers continue debating the bills. After that, the family says they plan to push for broader protections at the federal level.