Across much of the western world, governments are beginning to recognize the harmful effects of pornography, particularly on young people.
In the United States, 25 states have passed age-verification legislation, requiring viewers of pornography to verify that they are over the age of 18. Most of these states have also called pornography a public health crisis because of the range of negative impacts it has on society. A bill in the U.S. Senate is seeking to implement age-verification requirements across the country.
The United Kingdom, France and Australia have also implemented age-verification requirements. In response to age-verification laws, Pornhub, one of the largest pornography websites in the world, has blocked access to its website in 25 U.S. states, as well as in France and Australia. In a society where pornography has been easily accessible to anyone at any age, such laws are reducing ease of access to pornography.
Before the last federal election, Senator Julie Miville-Dechene introduced Bill S-210, which would have implemented age-verification standards in Canada. Bill S-210 passed the Senate and only had 3rd reading left in the House of Commons, but the bill died on the order paper when the 2025 federal election was called. At 2nd reading in the House of Commons, the bill had received unanimous support from Conservative, Bloc Quebecois, NDP, and Green MPs, as well as over a dozen Liberals.
In the current Parliamentary session, Senator Miville-Dechene reintroduced a slightly revised bill, Bill S-209. The Bill has passed the Senate and is now progressing through the House of Commons. You can read more about ARPA’s support for Bill S-209 here.
Bill S-209
Bill S-209 is an important initiative to protect children from pornography. The bill’s purpose is “to protect public health and public safety and, in particular, to
(a) protect the mental health of young persons by restricting their access to pornographic material;
(b) protect Canadians — in particular, young persons and women — from the harmful effects of the exposure of young persons to pornographic material, including demeaning material and material depicting sexual violence; and
(c) deter organizations that make pornographic material available on the Internet for commercial purposes from allowing young persons to access that material.”
Bill S-209 would require companies to verify that a person is over the age of 18 before they can view pornography online. Currently, in Canada, children can easily access pornography online without verifying their age. Bill S-209 would require effective age-verification, which refers to using physical or digital identity documents to verify age, or age-estimation technology, such as facial scans or other biometric or behavioural scans. Specific, effective methods would be determined and prescribed following the bill’s passage.
If an organization fails to verify age and allows a young person to access pornography, it may be subject to fines of $250,000 for a first offence, or $500,000 for subsequent offences. If a site fails to comply with the regulations, the government agency in charge of enforcing the law can apply to a court to have the site blocked in Canada.
Moving Forward
The previous version of this legislation came close to becoming law and it’s great to see another attempt moving through Parliament. Despite support on both sides of the political spectrum, the bill faces criticism from those who fear government regulation of the internet or worry about privacy concerns. But this law is an important step in combatting pornography in Canada.
Today, online pornography is not only much more extreme, but also much easier to obtain and view secretly than it once was. The intent of age-verification laws is to protect children from accessing pornography. But if it has the added impact of making it more difficult for adults to access pornography and thus reducing overall consumption and addiction, or if it results in sites like Pornhub blocking access in Canada, it will be an added benefit.
Of course, parents need to understand the impact of pornography and how to protect their children from it as well. But parents cannot hold pornography companies accountable with the force of the law like governments can. While more can be done to combat pornography, Bill S-209 is an important place to start.
As this bill moves through the House of Commons, send an EasyMail to your Member of Parliament, asking them to better protect children from pornography and to support Bill S-209.
