Porn Panic - A Renewed Battle Against Censorship in the U.S.
There seems to be a resurgence of "porn panic" in the United States, with new legislation being circulated that is looking to add age verification to sites that contain adult pornographic content. Louisiana may have been the first to sign into law age verification checks before being allowed access to adult websites in that state, but other states have begun to follow Louisiana’s lead in 2023. So far, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Virginia, Montana, Utah, and Texas have passed laws that require adult websites to confirm that users are 18 years or older before accessing the site's streaming videos. These laws have passed by both bipartisan Republican and Democratic vote. This, in turn, has led Pornhub, one of most viewed adult streaming websites, to cease access to its videos in certain states, stating that the age verification process, as it currently stands, could potentially cause higher security and safety risks to not only minors but adults as well.Â
Some opponents to the approved and pending legislation on age verification have expressed concern for other reasons, as many are wary of the ulterior motives that these interest groups in favor of such restrictions are hoping to achieve. If successful in passing these initial laws, this could open the doors to infringements to the First Amendment and more legislation leading to the restriction of not only adult sites, but the banning of literature and even the censorship of items we have grown to be accustomed to and enjoy (e.g. sex toys).Â
What has caused this recent panic in porn? Why has new legislation been introduced? As we have mentioned in previous blogs, the history of sexual censorship in the U.S. is not new. Until the sexual revolution of the 1960's, there were many bans on books and media right in our own bookstores and movie theaters. In this article, we will take a look at this recent porn panic and its possible consequences.
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Are We in the Midst of a Porn Panic?
Louisiana House Bill 142, which was signed into law by the Louisiana State Governor, states that "pornography is creating a public health crisis and having a corroding influence on minors". The language in the Bill goes even further to state that "Pornography contributes to the hyper-sexualization of teens and prepubescent children and may lead to low self-esteem, body image disorders, an increase in problematic sexual activity at younger ages, and increased desire among adolescents to engage in risky sexual behavior. Pornography may also impact brain development and functioning, contribute to emotional and medical illnesses, shape deviant sexual arousal, and lead to difficulty in forming or maintaining positive, intimate relationships, as well as promoting problematic or harmful sexual behaviors and addiction."Â
While there is certainly a strong conviction in these statements from the author of this Bill, nothing can be concluded with supported medical evidence, as one study even indicates that many of these issues that are claimed to be related to brain issues and addiction due to viewing to pornography are not supported.Â
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What is the Fear and What are the Consequences?
In a broader sense, rather than a porn panic, we may be in the middle of a moral panic. As Dr. David Ley points out in a podcast, the more people try to suppress thoughts of sex or masturbation, the more they think about sex or masturbation, leading to psychologically energizing the thought with more intensity. He mentions that the panic of pornography negatively affecting our lives is not a scientific or medical issue, but rather a moral issue. He equates it to a moral panic in which the media and society "buy into" a certain issue and make it into a moral and social concern, where it turns into a crusade.Â
He further states that there has been one and only one "right kind of sex" that has been branded as morally acceptable throughout generations, called "loving, monogamous, heterosexual sex", which has been a cultural value, and not an issue concerning anything medical or scientific. Anything that does not fit the mold of this type of sex has been seen as negative, or even detrimental.
Anything used irresponsibly can be incredibly dangerous, such as drugs, alcohol, a kitchen knife, or even a rubber duck. Pornography, as well, if used in an abusive manner, can possibly be a source of negative consequences. However, as our 2019 Self Pleasure Report findings have shown, more than half of us use some form of visual stimulation while masturbating, including porn. We'd say that's pretty normal, and the benefits outweigh the risks for most people.
What Could Potentially Happen if Porn is Censored?
If porn is censored, or even banned in the U.S., what could we possibly see in the future beyond adult video censorship? It seems pretty obvious that anything that is related to, or connected to porn could also suffer. Sites that offer sex toys, like the TENGA website, could require you to enter certain government approved identification.Â
While most would agree that preventing underage individuals from entering adult content sites would probably be a good idea, the manner in which it is being shared has its risks. Government issued IDs could possibly be linked to various pieces of sensitive and private information about you, which, in turn, would now be linked to your usage of viewing adult videos and purchasing of sex toys. If any database with this information were ever breached, a hacker could gain some damaging information on various people, even influential figures.Â
In addition, as Americans, we often pride ourselves on our right to free speech, or the privilege of the First Amendment. However, this right may soon become more and more limited. According to the American Library Association, there has also been an increase in the number of books being discussed for banning from public and school libraries. In just a single year, 2022 had seen a 40 percent increase in the number of proposed banned books compared to 2021.Â
If you are concerned about the direction and judgment of media being considered pornographic, and whether it will be banned or not, you can, if you are a citizen of the United States, contact your state representative or senator and express your concerns about any pending legislation which either supports or bans censorship of media. Without the feedback of constituents, your representatives won't know whether it is a topic that they should express concern about.Â
Summary
Believe it or not, even in the U.S., there has been censorship and banning of literature throughout its history. If the interest groups and politicians that are proposing the policies for censorship are successful in getting some or all of their bills into law, we may see much more restriction to access of sites and items that were once easy to obtain. The movement into age restriction laws has taken root in several states, and now many of these political action groups may turn their focus to banning books, restricting access to purchasing adult items, even controlling the wording on websites. We may even see restrictions on use of language, and portrayals of sex on television may be strictly monitored as we have done in the past.
If you feel passionately enough about your freedom to exercise choices that you currently enjoy concerning sex and sexuality, now may be a good time to contact your local state politicians and voice your concerns about online verification and censorship. If you voted for them (even if you didn't), they are meant to serve you and the constituents in your area.
Lastly, we leave you with a quote from the book, Porn Panic, by Jerry Barnett:Â Â
"First they came for the pornography… and then strip clubs, lads (mens) mags (magazines) and music videos. And then they came for hate speech… and then speech that was merely offensive. They attacked free speech online, on university campuses and in the mass media. They sought to overturn the gains of the Civil Rights and Women’s Liberation movements, to divide people by gender and segregate by race. A new fascism is here."
Here's to a forever free and peaceful world where we all can practice the sexuality WE want!
