Tennessee lawmaker proposes bill requiring age verification for online porn

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WDEF) — A lawmaker from Signal Mountain filed a bill requiring explicit websites to verify the age of users, in an effort to protect children from online pornography access.

Patsy Hazlewood, the House Finance, Ways and Means Chair, filed the legislation on Wednesday, December 6.

Her proposal is the Protect Tennessee Minors Act.

The bill states that the Tennessee Department of Homeland Security would enforce the law. The law would have websites, which contain material harmful to minors, verify the age of users by matching a user’s photograph to a valid U.S. ID.

“Exposing children to pornography is a form of child sexual abuse and exploitation that can severely damage a child’s intellectual development and emotional well-being. It can lead to difficulty in forming and maintaining positive relationships,” Hazlewood said. “This legislation will apply the same safeguards and restrictions to the online world that we already have in place in the physical world. The standard should be the same.”

It would make it a Class C felony for violating this law.

One national survey stated 73% of teens aged 13-17 had seen pornography online. And 54% said they first watched porn online before age 13.

“My top priority is the safety and health of my children,” said Jacob Levy, a Signal Mountain father of five and tech industry executive. “Pornography is a societal disaster. Modernizing existing laws to require age verification will protect children from it and help the internet stay digital, not degenerate.”

In 2017, the Tennessee General Assembly and other states created a joint resolution recognizing pornography as a public health crisis.