Good on Paper
Can We Stop Kids From Watching Porn?
Apr 15, 2025
Zeve Sanderson, the Executive Director of NYU's Center for Social Media and Politics, sheds light on the complexities of age-verification laws meant to protect minors from online pornography. He discusses how teens often find ways to circumvent these regulations, raising questions about the effectiveness of such measures. The conversation delves into the unintended consequences of these laws, highlighting the need for better sex education and responsible parental guidance. Sanderson also addresses the tension between privacy rights and access to adult content in the digital age.
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Quick takeaways
- Recent age-verification laws intended to block minors from adult content have paradoxically increased traffic to non-compliant sites, indicating policy failures.
- Effective strategies to limit youth exposure to pornography require not only regulatory measures but also heightened parental involvement and education.
Deep dives
The Impact of Age Verification Laws
Recent laws aimed at controlling minors' access to pornography have led to unintended outcomes. A study revealed that while compliant sites like Pornhub experienced a 51% reduction in search traffic, there was a 48% increase in searches for non-compliant sites such as Xvideos. This shift suggests that rather than effectively limiting access for minors, these laws may inadvertently promote non-compliant platforms. The findings highlight the disparity in policy effectiveness and the potential for age verification legislation to backfire.
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