Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh (R,C-Ballston) and Sen. Jake Ashby (R,C-Castleton) are introducing legislation (S.3591) requiring pornography websites to verify their users’ age and block access to New Yorkers under 18.

Minority and Majority governors in 19 states across the country have signed age verification mandates into law.

“In an era where graphic and inappropriate material is just a click away, it is our responsibility to ensure that we are doing everything in our power to shield our children from harmful exposure. Together with Senator Ashby, I am committed to prioritizing the protection and well-being of our children. Beginning last year, I was proud to support the passage of the SAFE for Kids Act and the Child Data Protection Act. This year, I hope to address the growing concern of smartphones and personal electronic devices in classrooms. In that same spirit of safeguarding our children in a digital age, I urge my colleagues to join me in advocating for this bill, which would mandate age verification for access to explicit content online,” said Walsh.

“In recent years, New York has made positive, bipartisan strides to protect our kids online. We believe this is another important step. Consuming this kind of content is wrong for our kids’ mental health and their emotional development. It can be toxic for their future relationships. I’m looking forward to working with Assemblywoman Walsh to get this bill passed and on the governor’s desk this session,” said Ashby. 

A comprehensive study by the Pew Research Center in 2022 indicated that 95% of teens had a smartphone. According to the Age Verification Providers Association, 94% of 8-11 year olds routinely access the internet, and a majority of households with minors have no content filtering on any of their connected devices.  The NIH reports that nearly 7 out of 10 adolescents has viewed online pornography. Common Sense Media reports that the average age of first viewing is 12.

The lawmakers noted that the Supreme Court seems poised to swat away industry challenges to age verification laws.

The New York Times described Justice Alito’s characterization of age verification laws as “painless.”

“I am not a scholar of constitutional law, but I don’t think James Madison was hoping that children could have unfettered access to hardcore pornography when he crafted the First Amendment,” said Ashby.