Protecting Our Kids Starts with Empowering Parents
Parents know their children best and therefore have the right to direct their upbringing—including when and how children learn about sex and intimacy. But that right is being violated by the predatory sex industry through online pornography.
Right now, the average age of first exposure to pornography is between 7 and 13 years old, and research shows that this exposure is usually accidental—without parents’ knowledge or consent.
A Public Health Crisis We Can’t Ignore
This mass tragedy and public health crisis is because internet pornography has no serious or effective age-gating protections. Technology exists to accurately and safely verify a user’s age before granting access to adult material—but the pornography industry believes that children should have unfettered access to online pornography without their parents’ knowledge or permission and they refuse to use the technology unless required by law.
Pornography not only portrays a distorted view of intimacy—often violent and abusive—but research shows it is as chemically and neurologically addictive as hard drugs like heroin. Imagine if your child accidentally encountered and became addicted to heroin without your knowledge. That should be intolerable in a society that cares about children and their future ability to enjoy intimacy within the safety of a God-honoring covenant marriage.
The Solution: Let Parents Parent
Inspired by the heroic efforts of Louisiana State Representative Laurie Schlegel—who took on the pornography industry when she sponsored and enacted the nation’s first state law requiring age verification for online pornography—Family Policy Alliance (FPA) formed a coalition of state Family Policy Councils, stage legislators, and national allies to follow Rep. Schlegel’s lead and work to enact age-verification bills like Louisiana’s around the country.
So far, 22 states have passed laws requiring effective and safe age-verification measures for online pornography, giving parents more control over their children's online experiences.
It Doesn’t Stop There
Social media is often the gateway to a child’s unintentional first exposure to pornography—especially since filtering tools cannot monitor links inside social media apps.
FPA supports legislation that protects children from early and harmful exposure through social media platforms and app stores, by:
- Requiring age verification,
- Enabling parental access to children’s social media accounts, and
- Mandating operating system safeguards.
Where the States Stand
Looking Ahead
The Let Parents Parent movement is gaining momentum. With the 18 states that have already taken action to implement age verification for online pornography—and several also stepping up to protect kids on social media—we’re seeing a nationwide shift toward restoring parents’ rights and shielding children from harmful content.
At Family Policy Alliance, we believe this is only the beginning. More states are considering similar legislation, and with every new law passed, we move closer to a nation where children are safer online and parents are empowered to raise their children according to their values.
We are committed to continuing this work—state by state—until every child is protected and every parent’s voice is respected. Together, we can let parents parent.
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