PRESS STATEMENT -Victory for Children and Families as SCOTUS Upholds Texas Age Verification Law
 

Today, in a decisive 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court of the United States has upheld a groundbreaking Texas law that requires pornography websites to verify the age of their users before granting access to explicit material. This historic decision marks a monumental victory in the fight to protect children and families from the scourge of online pornography.

The Court's ruling affirms the states' fundamental right to safeguard minors from exposure to obscene content, establishing a critical precedent that will pave the way for similar legislation across the nation. Nineteen states have passed similar age verification laws as smartphones and other devices make it easier to access online porn, including hardcore obscene material. For far too long, children have had unfettered and easy access to hardcore pornographic material, with devastating consequences for their development and well-being.

“This decision to protect children from the evils of online sexual exploitation will profoundly impact the lives of America’s youth for generations to come”, says Enough Is Enough^® President and CEO Donna Rice Hughes.  “It sets the stage for every state to enact age verification laws, as well as a federal age verification law, to shield our most vulnerable from the harms of pornography. This is a victory for all Americans."

The ruling states: "The First Amendment leaves undisturbed States’ traditional power to prevent minors from accessing speech that is obscene from their perspective.  That power includes the power to require proof of age before an individual can access such speech."

Enough Is Enough^® was a forerunner in advocating for age verification since the advent of the internet. Age verification is an effective shield in protecting minor children from pornography in print, television and broadcast. It is past time to implement the same protections in today’s digital world.

Hughes continues, “For three decades, the pornography industry has been given a free pass to distribute obscene online content depicting themes of rape, incest and violence that has been accessible to anyone, including children. They continue to profit from the distribution of this illegal content while knowingly and blatantly breaking federal obscenity laws. Today, the tide has turned as the multi-billion dollar pornography industry will face a new level of accountability.”