The legalization of Pornography

The iron law of prohibition. The harderit is to get a substance the more potent it becomes.

 

I'd rather we teach people to make good choices than employ the nanny state.

 

This logic may be fine if you are an adult. But what about minors? There should be a law to protect children from exposure to pornography... just as there is a law preventing minors from buying tobacco and alcohol.

 

OK, so you think in principle some regulation of pornography is a good idea. Great... it is only common sense after all. Given that near everyone thinks this... no matter where they are on the political spectrum, there could easily be the political will to do something to actually bring this principle into effect.

It would require state/ federal laws, in order for the internet companies/ servers/ hardware manufacturers and users etc to build all the 'firewalls' required.... and have those laws enforced. Though of course you would still have some minors finding ways around the system [just as a minor can get an adult to buy them fags and alcohol], the vast bulk of pornography consumption by minors would be dammed up.

This is the kind of worthy cause that people should consider fighting for. AND it can be bipartisan, incorporating both political liberals and conservatives!

 

Oh yes, because you have a libertarian logic, and a different logic that might disagree with it is something like sentiment or crazy right? ha ha

How does that not make you a fanatic?

Let's say, for the sake of argument, that all minors, were effectively restricted from access to pornography. Would that not be a good thing? And if a law was required for this, would that not also be a good thing?

Now, I know you think that laws only exist to protect individual's rights. But, as I've said before, children do not yet fall into the category of free and independent citizens/ consumers. They require a decent upbringing and education before they enter the 'marketplace' to carve out their own way.

 

Nice idea but with freedom of speech & the fact that not everyone who watches it is addicted to it, the world will never ban it. Alcohol & drug abuse have been around for thousands of years but they've never been banned.

 

BUT they are regulated... in the interest of minors. The same should apply to pornography.

 

It would be great if we could figure out how to regulate it away from minors; perhaps requiring that all porn sites make you register with as credit card but no charge, cuz a minor can't have their own card.

 

Yes! This is the conversation we need to start having.

What are the practical ways to prevent pornography from reaching minors every morning at the breakfast table?

1] A law is required first and foremost... without it nothing can be done.

2] I think most porn is free now, so not sure about credit cards. But say a some kind of credit card/ number is required to access a site... but libertarians will not go for this.. invasion of privacy etc... practical solutions are required, and hopefully bipartisan.

3] So there needs to both a 'hardware' and a 'software' solution. And a way to restrict both supply and demand. From the site side of things there must be a system in place that only allows it to interface with devices owned by adults. All devices will need to be 'enabled' in order to access adult sites. No information other than the device being owned by an adult is required.

4] It would be simple to set up. All that is required is the political will. Of course, like all laws, there will be ways around it. But the vast bulk of porn consumption by minors would be nipped in the bud.

 

I'm a libertarian and I've said before that I think credit card info should be mandatory to watch porn. It'll cut down on minors looking at porn. In addition kids need to be educated about porn. No teenager realizes how addicting it is.

 

Great... now all we have to do is convince those liberals on the other side. You would think this would be easier as they are not so opposed to making laws [I know, I know.. they overdo it]

I really think this might be an issue were everyone could come together for a change. The Right have a concern for morals [though privatized], whilst the Left still has a concern for the public good. At this minimum level of regulation [the screening of minors], all interests could overlap.

Let the petitions begin!

 

Not to put a damper on your enthusiasm, but computers can be sold used, any including new can be given as a gift. There is no registration process like ownership of a car; impossible to know who owns it or the age. And few minors "own" their computers OR cell phones OR tablets, their parents do. Many types of sites already require registration using a credit or debit card to ensure you're at least 18 & they charge $1.00 to do it. Yes, tons if porn is free, but all the big porn studios charge for membership & their models are the best, photosets are 100 pics & more, & videos are the most professional, no bullshit amateur stuff, & free sites can't have copyrighted videos, the studios have them removed.

 

There will never be a foolproof 100% way of stopping minors from accessing porn. No laws are perfect. But what there can be is a lowering of the floodgates in order to stem the vast majority of it. If a law is introduced, then a major part of that law will be the tweaking of current technology to reflect it.

Also, with a law, the minority of minors who continue to access porn will know at the back of their minds that there is something illicit about it... given the awareness of the law. As it stands, it seems for the new generation to be the new normal. The essence of this law is to create practical measures whereby 'distance' is created between minors and easy access to pornography.

I'm sure there are more tech savvy people than me who know who the present flood can be stemmed [once a law is passed]. Some ideas:

• at the manufactory stage, there will be some inbuilt registration process in the hardware reflecting the owner's status.
• gifting a device to a minor would involve the adult changing the status of the device to 'minor'. Not to observe this law would be akin to gifting a minor a crate of vodka bottles... with some similar kind of fine appropriate to the offence imposed if caught... this no doubt will still happen, just as some parents give their children access to alcohol... the important point is the rule, not the exception to the rule.
• Paid sites are not the problem. As it will be made compulsory to use an adult credit card.
• The new tweaking to technology is required for the free websites that abound and which children mostly access at a single click.

Where there is a will, there is a way. When we stop believing this, when we no longer have the courage to take control of our own destiny, then we are in for a world of trouble.