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