Parents vs. porn: AFA and AFA Action urge Mississippi lawmakers to protect kids from explicit library content
TUPELO, Miss. — American Family Association (AFA, www.AFA.net) and AFA Action, the government affairs affiliate of the American Family Association, are calling on Mississippi lawmakers to stand up to porn peddlers using library subscription services to expose children to harmful and inappropriate content.
“It is well documented that the companies providing these online portals to K-12 school libraries are failing children and parents,” said Dr. Jameson Taylor, director of policy and legislative affairs for AFA Action. “Articles in these databases include sexually explicit material and even hyperlinks to hard core pornography.
“In the Mississippi Magnolia/ESBSCO database, for instance, even very young children can find articles telling them how to engage in various sexual positions or how to access a transgender dating app. Articles in Magnolia also include live links to magazines with very adult content — with titles like ‘The 54 Best Sex Positions’ or ‘26 Things Gay Sex Workers Want You to Know.’”
The Mississippi Legislature is considering two bills that require corporate database vendors to properly filter and curate their online subscription products. These are House Bill 1315 and Senate Bill 2346. The final language is still being worked out as the session heads toward a close by the end of March. The bills also include provisions that require adult websites to employ age-verification protections.
Four states (Idaho, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah) have passed legislation requiring corporate database vendors to clean up their content. School districts in other states are cancelling their contracts with these online portals over safety concerns.
“Under federal law, libraries are required to protect kids from online pornography and harmful content,” said Dr. Taylor. “These database vendors are skirting the law, perhaps because they are earning ad revenue for monetized links. Yet states like Mississippi are paying these corporations millions of dollars to provide a kid-friendly service. State lawmakers need to hold these companies accountable so these online portals are safe for kids to use when they do their homework.”
For over 40 years, AFA has operated within the mission to inform, equip, and activate individuals to strengthen the moral foundations of American culture and give aid to the church here and abroad in its task of fulfilling the Great Commission. Founded in 1977, AFA has long been on the front lines of America’s culture war. Today, AFA is one of the largest and most effective pro-family organizations in the country, with nearly a million online supporters and approximately 110,000 subscribers to The Stand (formerly known as the AFA Journal), the ministry’s monthly magazine. Find AFA Action Alerts here. In addition, AFA owns and operates nearly 180 radio stations across the country under the American Family Radio banner.
AFA Action is a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to advancing biblical, family values in society and government by educating and influencing public policy. The mission of AFA Action is to inform and mobilize individuals to strengthen the biblical foundations of America by persuading individuals with the truth of the Gospel, challenging the lost to repent, promoting societal values that are consistent with Scripture, restraining evil, and exposing the works of darkness, motivating people to take a stand on cultural and moral issues, and encouraging Christians to bear witness to the world the love of Jesus Christ. Find AFA Action Alerts here.
View the media page for AFA here. For more information on American Family Association, visit www.afa.net or follow AFA on Facebook or Twitter @AmericanFamAssc.
For more information on AFA Action, visit www.afaaction.net or follow AFA Action on Facebook or Twitter.
###
To interview an AFA or AFA Action spokesperson, contact [email protected], Beth Harrison, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, or Deborah Hamilton, ext. 102.
