Louisiana legislator Laurie Schlegel wanted porn websites to do more to protect her state’s children. Now her law is the blueprint for the rest of the country.
Brava to Rep. Schlegel! It’s encouraging to see that although we have a pretty useless federal legislature, at the state level it’s possible to effect positive changes that other states notice and replicate. The Tenth Amendment is my favorite.
It’s also encouraging that as a society we’re starting to realize how harmful pornography is. Anti-porn sentiment has often been conflated with religious Puritanism, but more folks are understanding the strong secular argument against porn as well. I have no doubt determined kids and porn companies can find a workaround, but limiting the reach of this stuff is a rare public policy triumph. Thank you Rep. Schlegel!
This is what I like best about The Free Press ... stories highlighting people who see a problem, provide a solution and who in the process remind us all that we have more in common than not. To The Free Press, bring us more of these stories; we need them. To Laurie Schlegel, thank you.
When I was a teenager working at Waldenbooks, I’d often find playboys tucked in the back shelves. Teen boys would sneak them back there to get a peek at the naked female form. It was hard to access and G rated compared to what is a click away today. God help us for what we are doing to our children.
Free speech absolutist here, but why is it so very hard for some people to differentiate between children and adults? First amendment applies to adults. Period. Protect our kids!
“U.S. District Judge David Ezra recently agreed, calling Texas’s law “constitutionally problematic because it deters adults’ access to legal sexually explicit material, far beyond the interest of protecting minors.”
Laurie Schlegel is my hero. It is inconceivable to me that people who are opposed to this minor restriction can read those titles and not agree that restricting their access to children does not trump every other concern.
“If you’ve never had your first kiss but you’ve seen hardcore pornography, it’s going to mold the way you view sexuality,”
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Yes but I have been reliably informed by the teachers unions and MSNBC and other child molesters that you are BURNING BOOKS NAZIS if you restrict this sort of thing.
Next you’ll be telling me masks affect speech development which is a debunked MAGA conspiracy.
"anti-censorship advocates worry about privacy. They note, for example, that every driver’s license in Louisiana was recently exposed to cyberattack." - Wow, the lack of network security for a State Agency is their biggest argument. Hmmm, maybe the TSA won't require an ID to fly on a plane because their systems could be exposed to a cyberattack? Come on man! This argument is as stupid as voter ID - adults who desire to do a myriad of things adults do require proof of their age and identity.
We have so much social dysfunction in our country today. Laurie Schlegel is helping to repair that. The more difficult we make things for industries that hurt people’s self-worth, the better. If you were to google the name of a female porn star, too often you will find that she is already dead, either by accidental drug overdose or suicide. Others after they “retire” spend much time trying to get their videos removed from online sites as they were tricked into joining the industry or were abused in some way. And as for young viewers, they become confused about love, sex, interpersonal relations, and what is considered normal or pleasurable. There is no reason to make all of this easy for the porn industry or for underage consumers. Let the porn companies leave these states or implement a universal age check. Let young people be forced to subscribe to a VPN if they still want to gain access. Over time, legislation can be sponsored to make VPN users have to prove their age, too.
When porn was available only in magazines or in adult video stores, young people had very limited access. Today it is out of control and a significant contributor to mental health issues in teenagers, both male and female.
I would point out though, that you can go Google stuff and videos will still pop up that you can access without any age verification.
If I had to guess, a lot of the companies are creating shell companies and they are changing web addresses or routing things through other locations.
I also have to ask how they are dealing with kids that use a VPN and perhaps bounce off of IP addresses in states that do not have these laws or even international sites?
I think this is a good first step but I am convinced, as someone who has worked in IT for almost 30 yrs, that the only way we are going to get a lot of what goes on on line under control is to regulate access to the internet generally and force internet providers to filter content based on age. There really does need to be some version of a license to access information online, one for adults and one for kids. Maybe we even need 3 levels, children, adolescents and adults. Personally, I do not think that anyone under 18 should be allowed to access the internet anonymously. And I am not sure that all aspects of the internet, to include social media, should be allowed to be used anonymously. For those that worry that this is a dangerous idea, I will tell you that you are already not anonymous when online, your IP provider knows exactly where you have gone, your searches are tracked and maintained. Most sites archive everything you ever say or do. That is one reason we need such large data centers and so many of them. We might well get a better internet and have a better society if we stopped pretending that the internet, for all the sense of anonymity it seems to give, is really a public forum.
What was great about this article is that it showed a serious issue and a serious politician who wants to solve it. We have so many clowns on both sides of the aisle. From Trump to Kamala Harris, AOC, and MTG, politicians are dumb as a box of rocks and get publicity because of it. This article showed another side that tells an ordinary woman with a passion going into politics to make a difference. Rep. Schlegel didn't have a messianic message but saw an issue, shared what she felt about it, researched, and pursuaded. Yes, the porn industry will balk, and people will complain about putting a driver's license number on a website. If that prevents you from doing something as an adult, the person has more significant problems. Yes, kids should not be looking at these images, and thanks to Rep. Schlegel for that. But also, thank you for being an adult with passion, intellect, and character, which gives me hope when dealing with the awful people I have to watch and read about daily.
Now this is what an elected official is supposed to do. Protect and make her constituents lives better. If only more elected officials would do the same. Porn is a proven sickness and needs to be regulated to prevent it from reaching minors. IMHO I see no use for it what-so-ever.
Long road ahead, for sure. And, a fight worth fighting. Am especially impressed by the consideration noted for the "other side". Informed dialogue, and willingness to understand the other side, is a vital generosity so rarely observed of late. Well stated, well written, and agreed with the blueprint description. Well deserved. Thanks to the author and to the congresswoman. Sending you strength for the next steps on your path.
Proof positive that one person can, indeed, make a difference. Well done, Laurie Schlegel.
“You can either have a dead child or a Pornhub child.”
-porn executive somewhere
Brava to Rep. Schlegel! It’s encouraging to see that although we have a pretty useless federal legislature, at the state level it’s possible to effect positive changes that other states notice and replicate. The Tenth Amendment is my favorite.
It’s also encouraging that as a society we’re starting to realize how harmful pornography is. Anti-porn sentiment has often been conflated with religious Puritanism, but more folks are understanding the strong secular argument against porn as well. I have no doubt determined kids and porn companies can find a workaround, but limiting the reach of this stuff is a rare public policy triumph. Thank you Rep. Schlegel!
This is what I like best about The Free Press ... stories highlighting people who see a problem, provide a solution and who in the process remind us all that we have more in common than not. To The Free Press, bring us more of these stories; we need them. To Laurie Schlegel, thank you.
When I was a teenager working at Waldenbooks, I’d often find playboys tucked in the back shelves. Teen boys would sneak them back there to get a peek at the naked female form. It was hard to access and G rated compared to what is a click away today. God help us for what we are doing to our children.
Free speech absolutist here, but why is it so very hard for some people to differentiate between children and adults? First amendment applies to adults. Period. Protect our kids!
“U.S. District Judge David Ezra recently agreed, calling Texas’s law “constitutionally problematic because it deters adults’ access to legal sexually explicit material, far beyond the interest of protecting minors.”
———————————————————-
I bet this guy’s browser history is terrifying.
Laurie Schlegel is my hero. It is inconceivable to me that people who are opposed to this minor restriction can read those titles and not agree that restricting their access to children does not trump every other concern.
“If you’ve never had your first kiss but you’ve seen hardcore pornography, it’s going to mold the way you view sexuality,”
—————————————————————
Yes but I have been reliably informed by the teachers unions and MSNBC and other child molesters that you are BURNING BOOKS NAZIS if you restrict this sort of thing.
Next you’ll be telling me masks affect speech development which is a debunked MAGA conspiracy.
I’m reporting this to the local magistrate.
"anti-censorship advocates worry about privacy. They note, for example, that every driver’s license in Louisiana was recently exposed to cyberattack." - Wow, the lack of network security for a State Agency is their biggest argument. Hmmm, maybe the TSA won't require an ID to fly on a plane because their systems could be exposed to a cyberattack? Come on man! This argument is as stupid as voter ID - adults who desire to do a myriad of things adults do require proof of their age and identity.
We have so much social dysfunction in our country today. Laurie Schlegel is helping to repair that. The more difficult we make things for industries that hurt people’s self-worth, the better. If you were to google the name of a female porn star, too often you will find that she is already dead, either by accidental drug overdose or suicide. Others after they “retire” spend much time trying to get their videos removed from online sites as they were tricked into joining the industry or were abused in some way. And as for young viewers, they become confused about love, sex, interpersonal relations, and what is considered normal or pleasurable. There is no reason to make all of this easy for the porn industry or for underage consumers. Let the porn companies leave these states or implement a universal age check. Let young people be forced to subscribe to a VPN if they still want to gain access. Over time, legislation can be sponsored to make VPN users have to prove their age, too.
When porn was available only in magazines or in adult video stores, young people had very limited access. Today it is out of control and a significant contributor to mental health issues in teenagers, both male and female.
Good for her! Nice job.
I would point out though, that you can go Google stuff and videos will still pop up that you can access without any age verification.
If I had to guess, a lot of the companies are creating shell companies and they are changing web addresses or routing things through other locations.
I also have to ask how they are dealing with kids that use a VPN and perhaps bounce off of IP addresses in states that do not have these laws or even international sites?
I think this is a good first step but I am convinced, as someone who has worked in IT for almost 30 yrs, that the only way we are going to get a lot of what goes on on line under control is to regulate access to the internet generally and force internet providers to filter content based on age. There really does need to be some version of a license to access information online, one for adults and one for kids. Maybe we even need 3 levels, children, adolescents and adults. Personally, I do not think that anyone under 18 should be allowed to access the internet anonymously. And I am not sure that all aspects of the internet, to include social media, should be allowed to be used anonymously. For those that worry that this is a dangerous idea, I will tell you that you are already not anonymous when online, your IP provider knows exactly where you have gone, your searches are tracked and maintained. Most sites archive everything you ever say or do. That is one reason we need such large data centers and so many of them. We might well get a better internet and have a better society if we stopped pretending that the internet, for all the sense of anonymity it seems to give, is really a public forum.
What was great about this article is that it showed a serious issue and a serious politician who wants to solve it. We have so many clowns on both sides of the aisle. From Trump to Kamala Harris, AOC, and MTG, politicians are dumb as a box of rocks and get publicity because of it. This article showed another side that tells an ordinary woman with a passion going into politics to make a difference. Rep. Schlegel didn't have a messianic message but saw an issue, shared what she felt about it, researched, and pursuaded. Yes, the porn industry will balk, and people will complain about putting a driver's license number on a website. If that prevents you from doing something as an adult, the person has more significant problems. Yes, kids should not be looking at these images, and thanks to Rep. Schlegel for that. But also, thank you for being an adult with passion, intellect, and character, which gives me hope when dealing with the awful people I have to watch and read about daily.
Thank you for a great profile of this very reasonable champion for our children❤️
Now this is what an elected official is supposed to do. Protect and make her constituents lives better. If only more elected officials would do the same. Porn is a proven sickness and needs to be regulated to prevent it from reaching minors. IMHO I see no use for it what-so-ever.
Long road ahead, for sure. And, a fight worth fighting. Am especially impressed by the consideration noted for the "other side". Informed dialogue, and willingness to understand the other side, is a vital generosity so rarely observed of late. Well stated, well written, and agreed with the blueprint description. Well deserved. Thanks to the author and to the congresswoman. Sending you strength for the next steps on your path.