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HOUSE CONCURRENT R ESOLUTION NO. 12
IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION
BY REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN
Introduced: 2/20/24
Referred: Health and Social Services, Judiciary
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing the public health crisis created by the accessibility and pervasiveness of 1
pornography; and recognizing the need for education, prevention, research, and 2
changes in public policy to address the harms caused by the accessibility and 3
pervasiveness of pornography in communities in the state. 4
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 5
WHEREAS pervasive access to and use of pornography by increasingly younger 6
audiences is creating a public health crisis, the harms of which are beyond the capability of 7
the individual alone to address; and 8
WHEREAS efforts to prevent pornography exposure and addiction, to educate 9
individuals and families concerning pornography's harms, and to develop recovery programs 10
must be addressed systemically in ways that hold broader influences accountable in order to 11
counter the sexually toxic environment perpetuated by the pervasiveness of pornography; and 12
WHEREAS pornography is contributing to the hyper-sexualization of teens and 13
prepubescent children in communities in the state; and 14
WHEREAS, because of advances in technology and the near universal availability of 15 33-LS1416\B
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the Internet, young children are being exposed at an alarming rate to what was formerly 1
referred to as hardcore pornography but is now considered mainstream pornography; and 2
WHEREAS studies have shown that the average age of first exposure to pornography 3
is between 11 and 12 years old; and 4
WHEREAS early exposure to pornography is leading to low self-esteem, eating 5
disorders, an increase in problematic sexual activity at younger ages, and an increased desire 6
in young adolescents to engage in risky sexual behaviors; and 7
WHEREAS exposure of children and youth to pornography distorts sexual templates 8
and undermines sex education efforts; and 9
WHEREAS pornography objectivizes its subjects, reducing individuals to 10
commodities for the viewer's use; and 11
WHEREAS the detrimental effects of pornography include emotional, mental, and 12
medical illnesses, difficulty forming and maintaining intimate relationships, alterations to 13
brain structure and function, and problematic or harmful sexual behaviors and addiction; 14
BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes the public health 15
crisis created by the accessibility and pervasiveness of pornography; and be it 16
FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes the need for 17
education, prevention, research, and changes in public policy to address the harms caused by 18
the accessibility and pervasiveness of pornography in communities in the state. 19