Senator Mike Lee proposes law to ban online pornography, would you support such legislation?

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

I'm 100% for it. https://www.axios.com/local/salt-lake-city/2022/12/20/porn-industry-leaders-concern-sen-mike-lee-obscenity-bill

[IceCreamSandwich]

Wasn't the only reason this wasn't already law because it was so difficult to enforce?

I don't think a full ban would work. But I think more safety parameters for it definitely should be set up. I saw someone say there should be a higher minimum age for acting in porn, and i think that would be a good idea. Not even just for protecting young adults who can get taken advantage of, but because it would also make porn portraying people as "underage" much more difficult if the actors all had to be, say, 25+ instead of 18. The other big rule I would support would be making some categories of porn, like pedophilia, incest, rape— illegal. Even if it isn't actually happening, it's being sold as a good thing. Yeah people would still skirt lines like "step-sister" and "barely legal" but at least it would give some incentive for doing things like that rather than things like "father and teenage daughter." It would help porn stop messing up how people view sex if so many definitely illegal things weren't so normalized in it I think.

[WhiteSteve]

Hmmm…I mean, I’d need some convincing that it’s a problem in the first place. I think sexual gratification is a pretty essential part of existence, but the real thing just isn’t readily available to many people, or at least isn’t available on demand. If I can’t get a nut on demand, what’s the point of living?😂 Only half-joking about that, lmao.

I’d be in favor of anything that eliminates concerns over exploitation or health/safety, or certainly anything dealing with underage kids, whether it’s being involved in the production of it or just on the consumption end. The internet is kind of international waters though, like pornography isn’t coming strictly from places that are subject to American laws. I’m sure there’s a way the goverment could maybe block what we see, and I’m not usually a “that’s a slippery slope” kind of guy, it doesn’t take long to think how that could be abused beyond just a ban on pornography.

[Adaeva]

Provided it is not forced on us and we can avoid the porn sites by not changing our browsers setting from safe search, that is not a law that is needed. If people want it, it should be their right to set their browsers so they can search for it.

It is much like sexuality on GAG. I don't want to see those questions so I have blocked sexuality.

[musicbrain5]

That will never work. Think about it like Prohibition. Did that work like it was designed to? Nope. Alcohol production and sales just went underground and it fed a lot of crime and gangs. The same will happen if pornography is banned. Everything will just go underground, onto the dark web, and likely fund organized crime syndicates.

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

With the phone companies and internet companies being held accountable it can work.

Once people start getting into legal trouble they will think twice before doing it.

[musicbrain5]

They’re just going to use VPNs based in other countries, or onion route everything on a server like Tor. People aren’t going to stop watching or producing porn. That’s an extremely lofty goal. Criminals also don’t care if something is illegal - that’s why there is still crime happening. Murder, drug possession and trafficking, rape, shootings, burglary, fraud, embezzlement, etc - are those no longer occurring in the USA? Because they’re all against the law and people have gotten into legal trouble for committing those acts.

Anyways, the government is not going to waste their time trying to get warrants to search phone and internet records, or subpoena independent telecom companies. If they wanted to prosecute people making and viewing porn by those means, it would be easier for the government to take total control of the telecom system across the country. So no more AT&T, no more Verizon - it would be under a state owned provider managed by the government, so they could just look up records at will and monitor every citizen. That is likely the only way that your idea would be able to work with little to no loopholes.

[Roxxy99]

I’m generally not a fan of trying to legislate morality. It never works. Laws banning gambling, prostitution, drug use, etc don’t really deter anyone from doing those things and it just fuels a black market for it. The same would be true of pornography. I do think there ought to be some kind of age verification access it though.

[TheBigWhistle]

As long as the participants and the viewers are of legal age, there is no crime being committed. Why should it be banned? You don't like it? Don't watch it. Why is this type of censorship OK by someone who aligns with those that protest other forms of censorship.

Religion screws up more people than porn does. I'll agree to a ban of on-line porn if we can ban any reference on-line or on TV to religion. How about that? Both or none.

[SnowedIn]

Nope. Because the minute we ban one thing, we can now ban another. Do we want the Bible banned? Anime? Horse magazines?

Plus, it's an enforcement nightmare. Governments need to use resources wisely. I'd rather we focus on cyber protecting infrastructure than telling Timmy and Laura they can't watch porn. Or upgrade the air traffic control network. Or pass any of hundreds of other reforms and policy changes.

[ArtemisSilver]

How exactly is he going to enforce something so stupid? A closed Chinese style police state internet?

It's so over reaching and exceedingly difficult to implement that the level of aggressive stupidity to even suggest it demonstrates that this person shouldn't be in a leadership position.

[InsecureLivesMatter]

Absolutely. On a side note did you know MLK was an adultering womanizer?

[InsecureLivesMatter]

I bought this up because I'm OK is responsible for the degeneracy, sexual immorality and junk food in Hollywood, hip-hop music and big cities

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

Yes.

[BCA6010]

I support it at face value, but actually enforcing it will more than likely prove unfeasible. I also don't think there's a good chance of it actually passing.

[Dargil]

I look at porn from time to time. But yes I would.

[AviatorTom]

No, it's a violation of free speech. More importantly, porn is a sizeable tax income source for government that they're not going to get rid of.

[God_of_Thunder]

Lmao, good luck, dude.

He may as well try banning guns, while he's at it. 😂

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

Child porn is illegal, why can't all porn be banned?

[God_of_Thunder]

It'll never happen; there's simply too much of it out there, and people won't stop watching it, even if it were illegal. They'll never get rid of it.

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

Why does it work with child porn though?

[God_of_Thunder]

Unfortunately, it doesn't.

People can still find child porn, if they really want to 🤮. There's just, thankfully, not as much.

There are literally billions of legal porn videos out there. It's simply too much to get rid of.

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

Yeah, and people who watch child porn go to jail.

[God_of_Thunder]

Recreational drugs are illegal, too. Marijuana was illegal. People still used them, and go to jail for it.

Yet people still use drugs.

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

I think its possible to greatly reduce porn material through the internet.

The page will just say error 404 not found.

[CaptainSmartass]

I'm neutral on this one, but I don't think such a ban would work. I've heard there's a LOT of pornographic stuff online, so it would be impossible to enforce such a ban.

Simples...

[artsy_dragon]

Banning porn will never work. Making the porn industry less toxic will be a better idea

[AngryCarl]

The Supreme Court already decided that porn is Protected Speech. God knows how they came to that conclusion but it's precedent now. No doubt Senator Lee's futile efforts will make him popular in Utah.

[katiesmuff]

That will go just about as far as a ban on assult weapons has gone!

[exitseven]

it violates the first amendment. besides if it wasn't for porn there would be no internet.

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

By that logic then why child porn isn't in violation of the 1st amendment?

[exitseven]

that is a good question indeed. I think that endangering children is not part of the first amendment.

[trina_x]

i disagree with it
abolishing porn would be pretty problematic in my op

[BJP21]

Sex workers will have something to say about that.

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

Prostitution is illegal anyways. Porn is prostitution as the hookers are being paid money to have sex on a camera.

[Anonymous]

Why not it's not a bad idea. I thought of it at one time.

[joeldalton]

Bans like this will never work. I appreciate the sentiment.

[Cubus]

It's a good idea, but I believe there would be problems with implementing it.

[Anonymous]

I would support the legislation. In my opinion, porn is bad for the health of our society.

[SmokinAces2000]

I doubt it would ever go into law

[msc545]

No, it violates the First AMendment.

[Drumlin2001]

Absolutley not.

[CloudMassacre]

Nope