Wonderful logically well founded argument against unrestricted evil in the name of freedom. And all the comments preceding mine so wise and honest. So thankful for God’s truth wherever you find it.
BRIANVILLANUEVA
Our problem with limiting addictive things online (whether it's porn or gambling of social media) has never been technical but political.
I helped develop the first generation of Internet apps in Silicon Valley in the late 90's. Interactive websites were all custom written for specific clients. We (the programmers) were already strategizing ways to control online porn in 1997, and we came up with lots of them. The geeks (who consume a lot of porn but often wish they didn't) have known how to do it since the beginning. But the C-suite men (who also consume a lot of porn but care about money more than virtue) weren't interested. And the few C-suite women had convinced themselves that porn was female empowerment.
Bottom line, from a long-time programming geek, I second that age-gating and limiting access to adults is absolutely technically doable. The only thing standing in the way is, and always has been, political will and John Stuart Mill's ghost.
pjp
I would like to see the age-related verification raised to 95. That would put a real dent in the porn industry.
Absolutely agree with you. It is a disgrace that some “Christians” would not.
NathanH
Very well worded article. A great mixture of information and moral clarity. I am so glad you are willing to take any risk you see from those who would not agree with you to make such a compelling case for why a hard age verification requirement for pornographic website access.
I have been either at a university or teaching at one for nearly 25 years. As a student, I remember vividly a presentation that came to our campus made in the early 2000s called "The Power of Porn". I do not remember what the outside group was, but it awakened me to the prevalence of porn on the internet at that time and just how much money and influence the industry had and still has.
I see the current argument that will be before the Supreme Court (looks to be scheduled Jan 15, 2025) will deal with arguments related to addiction and pyschological harm to minors. I wish that it would deal with all of the problems around the industry. And I wish that it was not just measured effects on minors that were part of the equation. I wish that some of the equation concerned the departure from Christian sexual ethics. Porn is just one of the worse and more obvious examples of the danger of deviating from God's design for sex and marriage. I wish also that the college students that I see regularly would see this emphasis on porn to wake up themselves to its power and poison. I do not know that any law will keep them from it. I think that those, especially in their 20s who are still so easily influenced but are not minors, will need great help from the Church and gospel to leave behind the death spiral of pornography.
DSTE4312
I would love to see age-verification laws passed in every state, or even federally. Laws against harm are one of the main reasons laws exist, and there's way too much information about the harms of early exposure to pornography. We should not have this much data - too many people's lives have been damaged by this - lines need to be firmly etched. Or maybe huge walls need to be built.
Wonderful logically well founded argument against unrestricted evil in the name of freedom. And all the comments preceding mine so wise and honest. So thankful for God’s truth wherever you find it.
Our problem with limiting addictive things online (whether it's porn or gambling of social media) has never been technical but political.
I helped develop the first generation of Internet apps in Silicon Valley in the late 90's. Interactive websites were all custom written for specific clients. We (the programmers) were already strategizing ways to control online porn in 1997, and we came up with lots of them. The geeks (who consume a lot of porn but often wish they didn't) have known how to do it since the beginning. But the C-suite men (who also consume a lot of porn but care about money more than virtue) weren't interested. And the few C-suite women had convinced themselves that porn was female empowerment.
Bottom line, from a long-time programming geek, I second that age-gating and limiting access to adults is absolutely technically doable. The only thing standing in the way is, and always has been, political will and John Stuart Mill's ghost.
I would like to see the age-related verification raised to 95. That would put a real dent in the porn industry.
Absolutely agree with you. It is a disgrace that some “Christians” would not.
Very well worded article. A great mixture of information and moral clarity. I am so glad you are willing to take any risk you see from those who would not agree with you to make such a compelling case for why a hard age verification requirement for pornographic website access.
I have been either at a university or teaching at one for nearly 25 years. As a student, I remember vividly a presentation that came to our campus made in the early 2000s called "The Power of Porn". I do not remember what the outside group was, but it awakened me to the prevalence of porn on the internet at that time and just how much money and influence the industry had and still has.
I see the current argument that will be before the Supreme Court (looks to be scheduled Jan 15, 2025) will deal with arguments related to addiction and pyschological harm to minors. I wish that it would deal with all of the problems around the industry. And I wish that it was not just measured effects on minors that were part of the equation. I wish that some of the equation concerned the departure from Christian sexual ethics. Porn is just one of the worse and more obvious examples of the danger of deviating from God's design for sex and marriage. I wish also that the college students that I see regularly would see this emphasis on porn to wake up themselves to its power and poison. I do not know that any law will keep them from it. I think that those, especially in their 20s who are still so easily influenced but are not minors, will need great help from the Church and gospel to leave behind the death spiral of pornography.
I would love to see age-verification laws passed in every state, or even federally. Laws against harm are one of the main reasons laws exist, and there's way too much information about the harms of early exposure to pornography. We should not have this much data - too many people's lives have been damaged by this - lines need to be firmly etched. Or maybe huge walls need to be built.