Utah declares porn a 'public health hazard'

Utah has declared that pornography is a public health crisis, after the passage of a resolution through the state legislature yesterday.

Governor Gary R Herbert signed a new bill that will "aim to combat what's called 'a sexually toxic environment' caused by porn", CNN reports.

"Our citizens know that there are real health risks that are involved and associated with viewing pornography," said Herbert.

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The bill was supported by the anti-porn campaign group Fight the New Drug. According to reports, the group's founders are all members of the conservative Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Senator Todd Weiler, who led the bill through the state senate, said the resolution was non-binding and its impact rested on community action – specifically, to limit young people accessing pornography.

"If a library or a McDonald's or anyone else was giving out cigarettes to our children, we would be picketing them," he told reporters. "And, yet, our children are accessing pornography on their tablets on these sites and we seem to be OK with that."

Weiler also praised Prime Minister David Cameron's move to have family friendly filters installed by default for new internet subscribers.

"This is a $7bn industry," he said. "Help us protect children from your evil, degrading, addictive, harmful substances. If adults want to do that, that's their choice, but we're talking about developing adolescent minds of our nation's future."

However, critics have said the bill traffics in "shame and censorship".

Mike Stabile, the communications director of the Free Speech Coalition, told the Washington Post: "We should live in a society where sexuality is spoken about openly, and discussed in nuanced and educated ways, and not stigmatised. We all should work together to prevent non-adults from accessing adult material."