Topeka, Kan.
February 15, 2024 – The Kansas Senate passed S.B. 394 today to protect kids online from materials that are harmful to them. The bill requires any website that knowingly host, shares, or distributes material that is harmful to minors, and that material appears on 25% of the webpages viewed per month, to verify that the viewers are over the age of 18. Eight other states have passed similar laws. S.B. 394 passed with overwhelming bipartisan support 40-0. It now goes to the House for a vote.
Brittany Jones, Director of Policy and Engagement, Kansas Family Voice:
“Kansas families are tasked with the daunting task of protecting their children from a host of harms online. One of the most pervasive and clear harms is online pornography. We know that 2/3 of children are accessing pornography by the time they are seventeen. The pervasiveness of pornography & the ensuing harms are ever increasing in our culture.
S.B. 394 is a commonsense safeguard to protect Kansas children. Age verification is used in many other areas of our lives. This bill comes alongside parents and helps them protect their children. In a time in which so many issues divide us, protecting children online from a predatory pornography industry shouldn’t. We are thankful for the overwhelming bipartisan support this bill saw in the Senate & look forward to the opportunity for the House to take up this bill soon.”
Media Contact: (785) 542-0220, media@kansasfamilyvoice.com