A new bill in Utah would mandate a warning label for any pornographic video distributed in the state.
House Bill 243, sponsored by Utah Republican Rep. Brady Brammer, would require pornography producers to post a warning for 15 seconds on videos and must prominently display the warning in printed publication.
Failure to follow this law could result in legal action and a $2,500 fine per violation.
The warning label would read: “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.” (Related: Porn Is An Envrionemntal Hazard, Produces As Much CO2 As 72 Countries Combined)
In 2016, Utah lawmakers officially affirmed pornography as a public health crisis. Utah was the first state to pass an anti-porn resolution, and over a dozen states have followed in Utah’s lead. In May 2019, the Arizona Senate approved a resolution that called for a systemic effort to prevent the exposure of pornography to children, Arizona Republican Sylvia Allen holding pornography partially responsible for violence against women. “It’s an epidemic in our society, and this makes a statement that we have a problem,” Allen said in 2019.
Brammer’s bill was inspired by California’s product label requirements, which are attached to products with toxic substances.