Image Credit: Representative Patsy Hazlewood / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
Representative Patsy Hazlewood (R-Signal Mountain-District 27) who plans to run for reelection next year has introduced a bill that would require age-verification to access online pornography.
House Bill 1614 (HB1614), also known as the “Protect Tennessee Minors Act” would require all websites that contain more than 10 percent of content that is harmful to minors to verify that users of the website are 18 years of age or older before allowing viewing of the material. Owners of websites that do not abide by the proposed age-verification requirements or do not retain “historical anonymized age-verification data” for 7 years could be charged with a Class C felony. The Tennessee Department of Homeland Security would be tasked with enforcing the law.
Hazlewood who sits on the House Finance, Ways and Means committee as Chair says that the proposed legislation will put into place the same restrictions to the online world that are in place already in the physical world with respect to safeguarding children.
In order to be granted access to online pornography, adults would have to provide a valid form of photo identification such as a driver’s license or passport.
According to Common Sense Media, 73 percent of teens between the ages of 13 and 17 surveyed nationwide report having watched online pornography. In that same survey, 54 percent said they had first watched before turning 13.
Tennessee lawmakers have previously recognized pornography as a public health crisis in a 2017 joint resolution. Hazlewood is expecting broad bipartisan support for her bill.
Around the nation, about 7 other states have either passed a similar law to what Hazlewood is proposing or have pushed similar legislation. In response, Pornhub pulled access to its website for users in those states.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
5 Responses
You must age verify to look at Sporting Goods retailers that also might sell weapons, so why not.
This is an invasion of privacy. What a person does is their own home is PRIVATE……Whats next, a camera on the bedroom?. This is pure government overreach. Appalling degree on pandering to the busy bodies who refuse to mind their own business. Proving a person is over 18 can be done with ANY credit card. Not a debit card, but CREDIT card. Credit adds are only issued to adults!!!!!. This action would set a tldangerous precedent. What’s next, monitoring your vehicle mileage, your grocery purchases, your gun store purchases?
If this is approved those people who wish to control our lives will do so at will. We must fight against the government supervising what ADULTS do in the privacy of their homes!!!!
Pornography should be illegal, period. Just as it was for most of our nation’s history. It is eroding men, creating weak emasculated boys that grow up to be men who don’t need wives and have no drive to do masculine things because they get satisfied from some whore on their computer. If they do get married most men (by polling data) still view pornography. Its destroying marriages, destroying men’s view of women, destroying women’s dignity, adding to our oversexualized culture. Any move towards outlawing Porn 100% I am for.
What a dangerous person you are
www. Age verification is farce.
The only option is the requirement of credit cards.
Even then it’s not 100%.
Too many minors can get access to parents credit cards.
Their use can go on for months before being detected by the parents.
How many of us actually read our monthly statements beyond checking auto pay balance?