[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 38 (Wednesday, February 26, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H842-H843]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             BLOCKING AND FILTERING SOFTWARE IS INEFFECTIVE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Illinois (Mrs. Miller) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, today, Senator Mike Lee and I 
will reintroduce the Shielding Children's Retinas from Egregious 
Exposure on the Net Act, also known as the SCREEN Act.
  The average age of a child's first exposure to pornography is 11 
years old. Blocking and filtering software is ineffective, with nearly 
80 percent of children and teens between the ages of 12 and 17 being 
exposed to pornography.
  Not only has pornography become easier to access, but the content has 
descended further into violence and degradation, glamorizing assault, 
physical abuse, and nonconsensual acts.
  As children become desensitized to depictions of sexual abuse, 
research indicates that adolescent users internalize and emulate these 
harmful behaviors.
  Research reveals a list of psychological effects stemming from modern 
pornography on the developing brain include anxiety, addiction, low 
self-esteem, body-image disorders, an increase in problematic sexual 
activity in younger ages, and increased desire among minors to engage 
in risky sexual behaviors.
  There are 16 States that have declared youth exposure to pornography 
to be a serious public health issue, and

[[Page H843]]

19 States have enacted some form of website age verification 
requirement.
  The Supreme Court is poised to rule on the Texas age verification 
law. Whether they apply strict scrutiny or a lower form of judicial 
review, it is abundantly clear that the SCREEN Act is the answer.
  We must take decisive action to protect our children from the scourge 
of pornography. I urge the House and Senate to act swiftly in passing 
the SCREEN Act so that President Trump can sign it into law.

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