May 15, 2023
LOS ANGELES, CA (May 15, 2023) - Exodus Cry said porn industry advocates like the Free Speech Coalition are strongly pushing back against new laws designed to protect children from porn exposure likely because a significant portion of the porn industry’s revenue is from the web traffic of minors. Virginia became the third U.S. state on Friday, after Louisiana and Utah, to pass age verification laws requiring sites that host porn to verify the age of viewers with an ID. Mike Stabile of the porn industry’s Free Speech Coalition, already suing Utah for introducing similar laws, said the organization will consider taking action in Virginia as well.
Benjamin Nolot, CEO and Founder of Exodus Cry said, “Opposing these child protection laws is absolutely appalling. These laws pave the way for a whole new level of accountability for porn sites and set up imperative protective measures for children accessing the internet - basic measures that have been missing for far too long.
“Age verification on porn sites stops childhood exposure to pornography at the source and this is especially significant for the 62% of children who said their first time seeing porn was accidental. When groups like the Free Speech Coalition and Pornhub actively fight against these child protection laws, this seems to indicate that the porn industry strongly prioritizes profits above the protection of children.
“Childhood exposure to porn is an urgent issue affecting millions of kids in the U.S. and around the world. Whereas sellers of physical porn media, like magazines, have been required to verify its consumers are 18+ before purchase, internet porn has somehow escaped this essential standard and children have suffered extreme trauma, sexual abuse and mental health issues as a result. We receive story after story from people who were sexually abused as children by other children seeking to replicate porn they’d seen.
“And as we know too well, many of these porn sites, including mainstream porn sites like Pornhub, are rife with violent, racist and sometimes criminal content.
“The average age of exposure to porn is now, conservatively, between ages 7 and 13. Age verification is designed to prevent children from accessing porn online without blocking adults who want to watch the same content. It doesn’t infringe on free speech as adults still have every ability to access pornographic content with an ID and there are age verification technologies that protect the full privacy of users.
Exodus Cry has been campaigning for age verification since 2021 as a part of its Protect Children Not Porn campaign. We’ve been calling on Congress to require age verification with government ID, via a secure third-party system, on all sites hosting pornographic content and we celebrate these states who are finally putting online protections for children in place,” Nolot added.
Exodus Cry (EC), is a leading global anti-trafficking nonprofit organization focused on ending widespread sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, assisting, and empowering its victims, and educating the public about these horrific crimes. EC is focused on spotlighting the root causes of sexual exploitation and activating people to join the global movement against this injustice. Its award-winning films and social content have received tens of millions of worldwide views, been promoted by celebrities, and helped shape global legislation after being seen by audiences at the United Nations, U.S. Congress, and both the Canadian and United Kingdom Parliaments. EC is based in Southern California (USA) and was founded in 2008. Learn more at exoduscry.com, and follow Exodus Cry on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @exoduscry.
Boost conversions and sales today by being published on 100+ high-authority news sites — publishing is guaranteed or you get your money back.
