SLS 21RS-3331 ORIGINAL
2021 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 195
BY SENATOR CLOUD
CHILDREN. Requests the attorney general to reestablish the Task Force on Protecting
Children from Exposure to Pornography to study all issues related to the exposure of
children to pornography and the impact it has on their lives.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To urge and request the office of the attorney general to reestablish the Task Force on
3 Protecting Children from Exposure to Pornography to study all issues related to the
4 exposure of children to pornography and the impact it has on their lives.
5 WHEREAS, the members of the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana recognize
6 that pornography is creating a public health crisis and that it perpetuates a sexually toxic
7 environment; and
8 WHEREAS, pornography contributes to the hyper-sexualization of teens and even
9 prepubescent children in our society; and
10 WHEREAS, advancements in technology and the universal availability of the
11 internet and social media make pornographic materials more easily accessible for young
12 children; and
13 WHEREAS, research demonstrates that one-third of ten-year-olds and one-half of
14 twelve-to-fifteen-year-olds regularly access internet pornography and other adult content;
15 and
16 WHEREAS, the average age of exposure to pornography is now eleven-to-twelve
17 years-old; and
18 WHEREAS, exposure to pornography often serves as a substitute for sex education
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SLS 21RS-3331 ORIGINAL
1 for children and youth and informs their sexual templates; and
2 WHEREAS, early exposure to pornography can lead to low self-esteem and body
3 image disorders, an increase in problematic sexual activity at younger ages, and an increased
4 desire among adolescents to engage in risky sexual behavior; and
5 WHEREAS, pornography that depicts violence and abuse of women and children
6 tends to normalize such behavior; and
7 WHEREAS, pornography equates violence toward women and children with sex, and
8 pain with pleasure, which increases the demand for sex trafficking, prostitution, child sexual
9 abuse images, and child pornography; and
10 WHEREAS, potential detrimental effects on children and youth exposed to
11 pornography can impact brain development and functioning, contribute to emotional and
12 medical illness, shape deviant sexual arousal, and lead to difficulty in forming or
13 maintaining positive, intimate relationships, as well as promote problematic or harmful
14 sexual behavior and addiction; and
15 WHEREAS, studies conclude exposure to pornography at an early age is especially
16 detrimental, causing addictions to instant gratification and greater impulses for increasingly
17 more shocking material, leading to engagement in progressively more risky sexual behavior;
18 and
19 WHEREAS, pornography use is linked to lessening desire in young men to marry,
20 dissatisfaction in marriage, and infidelity, and this link demonstrates that pornography has
21 a detrimental effect on the family, the fundamental social unit in our culture; and
22 WHEREAS, efforts to prevent pornography exposure and addiction, to educate
23 individuals and families concerning its harmful effects, and to develop recovery programs
24 must be addressed systemically in a manner that holds providers accountable; and
25 WHEREAS, the Task Force on Protecting Children from Exposure to Pornography
26 was originally created pursuant to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 56 of the 2019 Regular
27 Session of the Louisiana Legislature but by the terms of the resolution, terminated on
28 January 1, 2020.
29 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
30 does hereby urge and request the office of the attorney general to reestablish the Task Force
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1 on Protecting Children from Exposure to Pornography to continue the study of all issues
2 related to the exposure of children to pornography and the impact it has on their lives.
3 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall be comprised of the
4 following members:
5 (1) The president pro tempore of the Louisiana Senate, or her designee.
6 (2) The chair of the Senate Select Committee on Women and Children, or her
7 designee.
8 (3) The secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services, or his
9 designee.
10 (4) A member of the Governor's Advisory Board of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
11 Prevention, appointed by the governor.
12 (5) The chairman of the Louisiana Cybersecurity Commission, or his designee.
13 (6) The chairman of the Children's Code Committee of the Louisiana Law Institute,
14 or his designee.
15 (7) The president of the Louisiana District Attorneys Association, or his designee.
16 (8) A representative of the Louisiana Attorney General's Cyber Crime Unit,
17 appointed by the attorney general.
18 (9) The state superintendent of education, or his designee.
19 (10) The executive director of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, or his designee.
20 (11) The executive director of the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops, or his
21 designee.
22 (12) The president of the Louisiana Family Forum, or his designee.
23 (13) The board chair of the Louisiana Partnership for Children and Families, or his
24 designee.
25 (14) The chief executive officer of the Louisiana Cable and Telecommunications
26 Association – The Internet & Television Association, or his designee.
27 (15) The president of the Louisiana Telecommunications Association, or his
28 designee.
29 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the office of the attorney general shall provide
30 staff support to the task force.
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1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in conducting the study, the task force may
2 consult with experts across the state and around the country, consider current training and
3 education initiatives, and explore all technological solutions.
4 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that members of this task force shall serve without
5 compensation, except per diem or expense reimbursement to which they may be individually
6 entitled to as members of the constituent organizations.
7 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a majority of the total membership shall
8 constitute a quorum of the task force and any official action by the task force shall require
9 an affirmative vote of a majority of the quorum present and voting.
10 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the office of the attorney general shall call an
11 organizational meeting of the task force by August 1, 2021. The task force shall elect a
12 chairman and other officers it deems necessary.
13 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall make a report of its findings
14 and recommendations, with suggestions for proposed legislation, if any, to the Senate no
15 later than January 1, 2022, at which time the task force shall cease to exist.
16 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
17 office of the attorney general.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Jerry J. Guillot.
DIGEST
SR 195 Original 2021 Regular Session Cloud
Requests the office of attorney general to reestablish the Task Force on Protecting Children
from Exposure to Pornography to continue its study of all issues related to the exposure of
children to, and the impact it has, on their lives. Requires report to the Senate no later than
January 1, 2022, at which time the task force shall cease to exist.
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