Senate advances bill requiring porn filters

BOISE — The Idaho Senate on Monday evening passed a bill requiring cellphone manufacturers to enable pornography filters for devices issued to minors.

Senators voted 23-12 to pass SB 1253, which will go to the House for consideration.

Bill sponsor Sen. Kevin Cook, R-Idaho Falls, had tried to pass similar legislation last year, but it was narrowly rejected by the Senate.

Cook said when he was a kid, pornography was usually distributed through magazines and it was behind a sealed bag as a barrier.

“What kind of barrier do we have on our mobile devices?” Cook asked.

He argued that manufacturers would not be adversely impacted because the filters already exist on phones. He said this wouldn’t affect access for adults but would help prevent kids from accidentally stumbling on pornographic material through internet browsers.

Sen. Dan Foreman, R-Moscow, said he appreciated the intent but thought that the bill amounted to government overreach, which he saw as more harmful than the potential exposure to pornographic materials. He said it was up to parents to decide to use the filters for their children’s devices or not.

A number of other senators also spoke about the issue of the government regulating the private sector. Others who opposed the bill said they wanted something that does more and goes after the content creators themselves.

Sen. Scott Herndon, R-Sagle, likened the bill’s problem to that of recent attempts to restrict minors’ access to sexual content in libraries.

“I think there’s a disconnect between the problem and who we’re looking to hold accountable for the problem,” Herndon said.

Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, said she was initially skeptical of the legislation but was convinced by the sponsor that her concerns were addressed. Wintrow and other Democrats voted no on last year’s bill, SB 1163.

Sen. Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton, said she was concerned the bill would not pass constitutional muster.

Sen. Abby Lee, R-Fruitland, supported the bill and noted that more could be done in later legislation. She also argued there’s no constitutional protections for children accessing pornography.

Sen. Van Burtenshaw, R-Terreton, likened the bill to age restrictions on drinking or smoking. He said the bill would do more to address the problem than other proposed legislation regarding libraries.

“If I was going to look at pornography, I wouldn’t go to the library, I would go on my cellphone,” he said.

Guido covers Idaho politics for the Lewiston Tribune, Moscow-Pullman Daily News and Idaho Press of Nampa. She may be contacted at lguido@idahopress.com and can be found on X, formerly Twitter, @EyeOnBoiseGuido.