By Trey Dellinger for THE WASHINGTON TIMES’ HIGHER GROUND
Lawmakers in almost 20 states have acted to protect children from the explosion of online porn. Has yours?
One popular approach requires internet users to verify their adult age before accessing harmful sexual material. Many of these new laws give parents the right to sue commercial websites that fail to require age verification and thus “accidentally” expose kids to porn. In two states, parents may sue websites that publish illegal (think: child porn) pornographic content.
These lawmakers are putting kids first, despite the bewildering opposition of some out-of-touch “free speech” advocates. Advocates claim this legislation violates the U.S. Supreme Court’s modern First Amendment decisions.
As we know from the Dobbs case overturning Roe v. Wade, as well as the recently decided Loper Bright case, the current Court is willing to chart a different course: a course more in line with the actual history and tradition of our country. Given the growing dangers faced by children in the internet age, the Justices may well clarify their precedents to more closely align with the original understanding of the First Amendment.
