Protect Alabama's Children from Pornography Exposure!

In February 2020, Alabama became the 16th state to openly acknowledge the dangers of pornography when the state legislature declared pornography a public health hazard. Easily accessible online pornography routinely includes child sexual abuse, rape, sexual violence, racism, and non-consensual sexual content.

The Alabama Children's Default to Safety Bill is a natural and practical next step to protecting the health and well-being of Alabama‘s children. It requires manufacturers to make a simple software update so that pre-existing default safety features are “on” upon activation in Alabama. Despite the false claims of the Big Tech conglomerate, there is no new manufacturing or hardware creation required and this bill in no way hinders commerce or burdens our government.

Unfortunately, Big Tech has been flooding the Alabama legislature with lobbyists, drowning out the voices of Alabama parents and health professionals who are experiencing and seeing the harm to our children firsthand. In short, Big Tech is putting profit over the safety of children by spreading misinformation and confusion to our elected leaders.

Scientific research has proven that pornography poses serious and extensive harm to children’s mental, social, and sexual health. In fact, since 2009, there have been more than 50 studies linking pornography use to a range of detrimental impacts on the brain’s structure and function, including the mesolimbic dopamine system. In addition, doctors, law enforcement, and mental health providers are reporting a dramatic increase in child-on-child harmful sexual behavior as a result of early exposure to this graphic and often traumatizing images.

This bill provides much-needed relief to families who are overwhelmed by the digital space their children are growing up in and would demonstrate to Alabama parents that our legislators are very serious about protecting the well-being of our children. Our children deserve every opportunity to live a childhood free from exploitation and abuse, and this is an easy and practical step we can take to improve their chances of healthy mental, emotional, and social development.

Please support the Children's Default to Safety Bill, HB 298, to be a champion for Alabama's youth by emailing and calling Alabama's State Senators.