FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Emma Balzer, Senior Press Secretary
Emma.Balzer@iga.in.gov
317-232-7184
STATEHOUSE (Nov. 13, 2023) – State Sen. Mike Bohacek (R-Michiana Shores) recently filed a bill for the 2024 legislative session that would help keep Hoosier children safe online by requiring age verification for websites with pornographic content.
"Indiana has an opportunity to protect children from many types of pornographic material on the internet by simply limiting access to adults," Bohacek said. "These verification methods aren't restricting the rights of legal adults, just tightening the law to ensure kids don't access harmful material."
The bill would make it a Class A misdemeanor if a website operator knowingly or intentionally publishes a website with pornographic content without reasonable age verification methods. The penalty would be increased to a Level 6 felony if the operator has a prior violation or conviction.
Reasonable age verification methods would include:
Similar legislation has already passed in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Utah, Virginia and Texas.
"States are only just beginning to implement meaningful protections to keep pornographic material away from our children, so it's important for Indiana to be a leader for others to follow," Bohacek said. "Today, kids carry the internet in their pocket, so we have to be proactive. This is a way to ensure our kids are using the internet safely."
To view a complete list of Bohacek's bills he authored during the 2023 session, click here.
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State Sen. Mike Bohacek (R-Michiana Shores) represents Senate District 8, which include
Starke County and portions of La Porte, Marshall and St. Joseph counties.
Click here for a high-resolution photo.
