Protecting Kids From Online Pornography: Why the SCREEN Act Matters

For today’s parents, protecting children from pornography no longer means simply keeping explicit magazines or movies out of the house. A smartphone can give a child access to sexually explicit content in seconds — often before a parent even realizes there is a problem.

Research cited by a coalition of family and policy organizations, including Family Policy Alliance, shows just how widespread that exposure has become: 54% of children age 13 and younger and 80% of teenagers ages 12 to 17 have been exposed to sexually explicit content. The average age of first exposure is now just 12.

That is one reason Family Policy Alliance is supporting the Shielding Children’s Retinas from Egregious Exposure on the Net (SCREEN) Act, federal legislation designed to keep minors from accessing commercial pornography websites.

What Would the SCREEN Act Do?

The SCREEN Act would require commercial pornography websites to verify that users are adults before allowing them to access sexually explicit material.

Importantly, the legislation does not prescribe a single method of age verification. Websites could use third-party verification services or develop their own systems that meet the law’s requirements. The legislation would also prohibit websites and verification providers from retaining or selling personal information collected during the verification process.

The principle is straightforward: If a business sells or distributes material that children are legally prohibited from accessing, the burden should not fall entirely on parents to keep children out.

That approach is already taking hold across the country. Twenty-seven states have enacted age-verification laws for pornography websites, and the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Texas’ age-verification law in 2025.

These efforts are part of the larger work Family Policy Alliance is doing through our Let Parents Parent campaign to protect children and ensure parents have the tools and authority they need to raise their children.

What Happened to the SCREEN Act in the Senate?

The U.S. House passed substantially similar protections in June. In the Senate, the SCREEN Act came before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on Aug. 5.

The bill received majority support, 15–13, but it did not advance because the committee did not have the required number of members physically present. Four senators who supported the bill voted by proxy, and Senate committee rules do not allow proxy votes to count toward the quorum required to report a bill. As a result, the SCREEN Act will need another vote.

Family Policy Alliance joined other national organizations ahead of that vote in urging senators to support the legislation.

The Aug. 5 vote also drew national attention. The Daily Wire reported on the committee fight and Family Policy Alliance’s involvement, including the broader debate over whether age verification appropriately protects children while addressing privacy and free-speech concerns.

Giving Parents More Help Protecting Their Children

Parents have always been responsible for guiding what their children see and experience. But the internet has dramatically changed the scale of that job.

Pornography websites can reach children privately, instantly and on devices they carry everywhere. Age-verification laws create another layer of protection rather than expecting every family to fight that access alone.

That is why Family Policy Alliance and our network of state Family Policy Councils have worked to advance protections for children at the state level — and why the debate over the SCREEN Act matters nationally.

Parents should have the primary role in raising and protecting their children. Government and businesses should not make that job harder.