Gov. Hobbs signs law making it illegal for adults to advise teens to commit suicide online

Gov. Katie Hobbs signed House Bill 2665, which gives prosecutors authority to charge adults who use targeted online messages to advise or encourage a minor to die by suicide, knowing the minor intends to do so.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Pam Carter, R-Scottsdale, is named Cade’s Law in honor of 16-year-old Cade Keller, according to a press release.

“Teen suicide is a crisis, and we cannot ignore it,” Carter, who represents Legislative District 4, said in the release “Cade Keller was only 16. He loved welding and had plans to attend Mesa Community College. Then his life was cut short. Cade posted online that he planned to take his life. People saw it. No one called 911. No one got an adult. Cade died. That is the nightmare every parent fears, and it is happening to too many families. Cade’s Law makes this a crime. If you knowingly use direct messages to advise or encourage a minor to die by suicide, you will be prosecuted. If you see warning signs, do not wait. Make the call. Get help. Step in.”

Arizona law already punishes those who provide the physical means another person uses to die by suicide. Cade’s Law closes a dangerous loophole by extending accountability to the adult who uses words through direct messages, posts or other targeted content aimed at a specific minor. The law applies to directed communication that is specifically addressed to, or reasonably understood to be directed at, the minor who dies by suicide, including content that identifies or tags the minor.