SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — A new bill filed in Springfield would require companies to have age verification before people could see pornography online. Senate Republicans believe the plan could protect vulnerable children on the internet.
A 2022 report from Common Sense Media found that most teenagers have watched porn online and many kids encounter it by the time they turn 12. Experts and lawmakers said young children may be exposed to porn on accident through search engines, social media, or clicking questionable links.
"As adults who care about our children, and as a parent myself, we need to put some safeguards in place that will protect our kids from accidentally falling into viewing these kinds of images," Sen. Erica Harriss (R-Glen Carbon) said Friday.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has warned that minors watching porn can struggle with negative emotional, psychological, behavioral and physical health.
Democrats and Republicans believe the Illinois school code should be amended to include sexually explicit digital depictions of students under the definition of cyberbullying.
Harriss said businesses displaying porn online should require customers to show their government issued ID or records of public or private transactions to confirm they are 18 or older.
"There's not even a pop up window that comes on to just click to verify that you're 18 without even verifying anything," Harriss said. "If you are going to an inappropriate site or our kids are popping on an inappropriate site, there are no blockers that anyone of any age comes across."
Under this plan, porn companies could face a $5,000 fine for each day they fail to have reasonable age verification methods. The Attorney General would also have the power to investigate violations of the law after companies receive 30 days to comply. Courts may impose an additional civil penalty of up to $10,000 for each company "knowingly failing to perform reasonable age verification methods."
"The need for something like this has really increased, and increased very exponentially, just based on the fact that we've now put devices in five-year-olds' hands as part of their school curriculum.
Money from each violation would go directly into the state's Cyber Exploitation of Children Fund.
Sen. Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) has signed on as a chief co-sponsor of the legislation. Harriss and Plummer hope to gain bipartisan support this fall.
Similar plans have become law in Arkansas, Montana, Mississippi, Utah, Virginia and Texas. The bills passed unanimously in Utah and Arkansas. Although, several major porn websites have blocked access to customers in those states instead of following the laws.
"This is a problem that we need to find a solution to," Harriss said. "If Pornhub has an idea of how we can safely protect our kids without having them pull out, I am very open to different language. But legislators and parents who care about the well-being of our next generation can't sit around and not do anything about it."
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