AL House advances anti-pornography bill that would have devices automatically block sexually explicit content

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• An anti-pornography bill was passed in the Alabama House of Representatives Tuesday to prevent kids from seeing inappropriate content.
• Under the Alabama measure, phones and tablets would automatically block pornography or other sexually explicit content unless the purchaser of the device enters a password.
• While some Alabama lawmakers questioned the feasibility of requiring manufactures to enable automatic filters, others praised the measure as some parents don’t know how to enable them.

Alabama lawmakers advanced anti-pornography legislation Tuesday that would require phones and tablets to automatically block sexually explicit content or pornography until the purchaser changes the device settings.

The House of Representatives voted 70-8 for the bill by Republican Rep. Chris Sells, of Greenville. The bill now moves to the state Senate.

The legislation would require manufacturers to automatically enable existing filters that prevent the viewing of pornography or sexually explicit content. Sells said the requirement would help prevent children from inadvertently seeing inappropriate content.

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The Alabama House of Representatives approved legislation Tuesday to prevent children from seeing inappropriate content. The measure would have phones or tablets automatically block pornography. 

The purchaser of the phone would have to use a password to disable the filter if they wanted to view the content.

While the bill was approved with lopsided support, opponents have questioned if the measure would survive a court challenge. They also questioned the feasibility of requiring manufacturers to make adjustments for devices sold or activated in Alabama. Two dozen lawmakers abstained from the vote.

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Several lawmakers praised the legislation, saying not all parents know how to enable the content filters.

Utah's governor in 2021 signed into law similar legislation, but the measure won’t go into effect unless five other states enact similar laws.