The War on Porn Regular Updates about the Assault on The Adult Industry
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Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has announced a new age-verification rule that will take effect on November 30, aimed at restricting minors’ access to online pornography.
Under the measure, commercial websites where at least one-third of the content is pornographic must implement systems to block underage users from viewing sexually explicit material, according to a release from the Attorney General’s Office.
The rule was established under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act. Sites that fail to comply could face civil penalties and court orders for engaging in what the office described as an “unfair practice” within the state.
Officials cited research showing that children are being exposed to pornography at increasingly young ages, with the average first exposure occurring at around 11 or 12 years old. By their teenage years, more than 90 percent of boys and about 60 percent of girls have encountered explicit material.
The release also noted that exposure to such content may have neurological impacts, contribute to sexual exploitation, and fuel human trafficking.
The new rule is designed to strengthen parental oversight while placing greater responsibility on distributors to prevent minors from accessing explicit content online.
