Banks Introduces SAFE for Kids Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) introduced the Safety and Age Filtering Enforcement (SAFE) for Kids Act. This legislation requires commercial pornography websites to implement age verification measures to prevent minors from accessing sexually explicit content online.

Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.): "Kids should not be exposed to pornography with just a few clicks. The SAFE for Kids Act helps parents protect their children and bring commonsense safeguards nationwide."

Kevin Roberts, PhD., President, Heritage Action: "Congress must act now to protect our children from adult content on the internet. No more excuses. While Washington drags its feet, kids across the nation are being exposed to vile, pornographic images and ads with no meaningful safeguards to prevent it. Americans are angry that their kids are being indoctrinated into a left-wing ideology intended to infiltrate their hearts and corrupt their moral center. Parents deserve laws that empower them to protect their children. The SAFE for Kids Act is a necessary solution that will finally hold individuals and companies liable if they fail to implement meaningful safeguards to prevent minors from being exposed to explicit content. Congress has a duty to act, and the time to do so is now."

Chip Wyatt, Government Relations Director, Heritage Action: "Heritage Action commends Senator Banks for taking a stand to protect America's kids. When nearly 80% of underage children have been exposed to adult content online, commonsense policies like the SAFE for Kids Act deserve strong support. We urge lawmakers to come together and pass this bill, so families have the tools they need to keep their children safe."

The SAFE for Kids Act is supported by a broad coalition of organizations and advocates, including American Principles Project, Heritage Action, Clare Morell and Chloe Lawrence of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, Institute for Family Studies, National Decency Coalition, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and Concerned Women for America.

Key Provisions of the SAFE for Kids Act:

• Requires commercial entities that distribute material on the internet, where more than one-third of the content is sexual content harmful to minors, to implement age verification measures.
• Grants enforcement authority to the Federal Trade Commission through consumer protection law.
• Authorizes the Department of Justice to investigate platforms that knowingly violate the law.
• Creates a private right of action allowing individuals, including parents and legal guardians, to bring civil actions against covered entities that violate the act.

Read the full bill here. Link to Fox News story here.

Background:

Research has shown that children are encountering pornography at increasingly young age, with the average first exposure occurring around age 12 and 60 percent of exposures occurring unintentionally. More than 25 states have enacted age verification requirements for pornography websites, and the Supreme Court upheld these laws in Free Speech Coalition vs. Paxton, recognizing the government's interest in protecting children from sexual material online.

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