SLS 20RS-462 ORIGINAL
2020 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 11
BY SENATOR CLOUD
INTERNET. Memorializes Congress to prohibit access to online pornography by persons
under the age of 18.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To memorialize the Congress of the United States to enact legislation prohibiting access to
3 online pornography by persons under the age of eighteen.
4 WHEREAS, the members of the Louisiana Legislature recognize the regrettable ease
5 of access to online pornography and the detrimental effects of exposure to online
6 pornography by minors; and
7 WHEREAS, studies have indicated that ninety-three percent of boys and sixty-two
8 percent of girls are exposed to online pornography before the age of eighteen, and that the
9 average age of exposure is eleven; and
10 WHEREAS, research also indicates that thirty-three percent of ten-year-olds, and
11 fifty percent of twelve- to fifteen-year-olds, regularly access online pornography; and
12 WHEREAS, with twelve percent of websites having pornographic content and only
13 three percent of such websites requiring age verification, potential access to online
14 pornography by minors appears virtually unrestricted; and
15 WHEREAS, some industries, such as gaming, tobacco, and alcohol, have
16 implemented age verification with some success in limiting accessibility to online content
17 by underage persons; and
18 WHEREAS, other websites and apps for electronic devices, such as Facebook and
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SLS 20RS-462 ORIGINAL
1 YouTube, require age verification to prevent persons under thirteen from accessing its
2 content pursuant to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, 15 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.; and
3 WHEREAS, because of the ease of access to pornography through email, chat rooms,
4 and internet searches, pornography appears immediately and anonymously without sufficient
5 viewer restrictions, and its content is explicit in nature; and
6 WHEREAS, after the decision by the United States Supreme Court in Reno v. ACLU,
7 521 U.S. 844 (1997), it appears that online pornography has become more accessible,
8 diverse, and explicit; and
9 WHEREAS, existing federal law appears insufficient to adequately respond to this
10 threat to minors; and
11 WHEREAS, protections used offline to protect children from age-restricted goods
12 or services should be considered in developing laws to restrict access to online pornography;
13 and
14 WHEREAS, research indicates that excessive viewing by minors of sexually explicit
15 content may lead to issues such as low self-esteem and body image disorders, an increase
16 in problematic sexual activity at younger ages, an increased desire among minors to engage
17 in risky sexual behavior, and addictive behavior regarding pornography; and
18 WHEREAS, research shows that exposure to online pornography may also skew a
19 child's worldview, increase high-risk behaviors, and harm their capacity for successful and
20 sustained human relationships; and
21 WHEREAS, because online pornography with graphic, indecent, and explicit content
22 appears increasingly accessible to viewers who are minors, and because there are perceived
23 harmful and detrimental effects of exposure to online pornography by minors, the United
24 States Congress has very compelling interests in enacting legislation or revising existing
25 legislation to prevent minors from accessing online pornography by enacting robust age
26 verification requirements and punitive penalties, including massive fines and potential ban
27 from service providers on pornographic website producers who do not comply with the law.
28 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana memorializes
29 the Congress of the United States to enact legislation prohibiting access to internet
30 pornography by persons under the age of eighteen.
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SLS 20RS-462 ORIGINAL
1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
2 secretary of the United States Senate and the clerk of the United States House of
3 Representatives and to each member of the Louisiana Delegation to the United States
4 Congress.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Michelle Ridge.
DIGEST
SCR 11 Original 2020 Regular Session Cloud
Memorializes Congress to enact legislation prohibiting access to internet pornography by
persons under the age of 18.
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