Small Business "Backbone" Podcast · Frank Knapp

Rep. Brandon Guffey on protecting children from digital threats

·29 min·2 clips

Rep. Guffey lost his 17-year-old son to sextortion, a crime now affecting one in five teens.

Host Frank Knapp interviews South Carolina State Representative Brandon Guffey, who advocates for laws protecting children from online crimes like sextortion. Representative Guffey entered politics after his 17-year-old son died by suicide following a financial sextortion attack. He states the crime of sextortion now affects one in five teens and is linked to over 50 known suicides. Guffey explains perpetrators often use fake identities to obtain intimate images from teens before blackmailing them for money or more content. He describes a newer, "sadistic" form where victims are coerced into committing crimes, such as making false active shooter threats. Guffey sponsored Gavin's Law in South Carolina, which makes sextortion a felony and mandates education about the crime in schools. He reveals the first person charged under this law was a middle schooler who used an AI "nudify" app on a classmate's photo. Guffey argues the primary legal shield for tech companies is Section 230, a 1996 law that he says prevents them from being held liable for harms to users over 13. He compares tech companies to "big tobacco 2.0," alleging they are aware of the dangers their platforms pose to children but fail to act. His proposed AI regulations focus on chatbots, demanding they sound robotic when interacting with children and cannot give counseling or engage sexually. Guffey cites a specific incident where Meta's AI, encouraged by a John Cena avatar, allegedly told a 12-year-old to undress. He opposes a federal AI regulatory preemption that would block state laws, viewing it as an unconstitutional removal of state rights driven by corporate money. Guffey claims Meta has a $300 million super PAC targeting state legislators who oppose this preemption. He believes algorithms and AI risk stifling critical thinking by trapping users in ideological "buckets" based on their juvenile preferences. The episode is conversational and advocacy-driven, with Guffey speaking passionately from personal experience. Listeners concerned with child online safety, digital privacy, and state-level policy action will find this episode compelling. Those seeking a balanced debate on AI regulation or a technical discussion may find it too one-sided.

As heard by us

A grounded policy conversation about AI preemption, state authority, and protecting kids online.

Representative Brandon Guffey argues plainly for stronger online protection for children, while Frank Knapp keeps the talk moving through state rights, federal delay, COPA, and the pull of tech money in Congress.

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Why you'd press play

You want a clear, local-state argument for why kids' safety should shape AI rules.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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