The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has unanimously adopted a resolution recognizing pornography as a public health hazard.
House Resolution 519, sponsored by Rep. Matt Baker (R-Tioga), specifically condemns the free availability of pornography based on the public health hazard that it presents by harming children and families across the Commonwealth.
The resolution cites that due to advances in technology, young children are now exposed to pornography at alarming rates, with as many as 27% of older millennials reporting that they first encountered explicit pornography before even reaching puberty.
House Resolution 519 also encourages a three-pronged approach to confronting this issue with education, prevention and research and policy change at the community and social levels.
Pennsylvania joins nineteen other states that have passed or introduced a similar measure.