SALT LAKE CITY — Under a bill that was recently introduced in the Utah state legislature, any pornography distributed in Utah would be required to carry a warning label describing potential negative impacts to young people.
House Bill 243, sponsored by Rep. Brady Brammer, R-Alpine, would mandate the warning label for any adult publication or video.
The text below must be included on all pornography distributed in the state.
"Exposing minors to pornography is known to the state of Utah to cause negative impacts to brain development, emotional development, and the ability to maintain intimate relationships. Such exposure may lead to harmful and addictive sexual behavior, low self-esteem, and the improper objectification of and sexual violence towards others, among numerous other harms."
In videos, the warning label must be displayed for up to 15 seconds. On printed publications, it must be prominently displayed. Failure to do so would result in legal action by the Utah Attorney General's Office and a $2,500 fine per violation, the bill states.
The Utah State Legislature has endorsed anti-pornography stances in the past. In 2016, the legislature approved a resolution by Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, that declared porn a "public health crisis." The resolution, a first of its kind, generated international attention on the state. However, since then, other legislatures have considered similar legislation.
This story was originally published by Ben Winslow on
KSTU
in Salt Lake City.
