POINT | Parents want action, not excuses, to protect kids from porn exposure

Guest column by Rep. Bethany Soye & Karen McNeal

While the general public has been rightfully focused on the seven ballot measures attempting to make drastic changes to our state, some legislators in Pierre have been playing political games. Although that might not surprise you, the topic should: Preventing children from accessing pornographic websites. During the 2024 session I (Rep. Soye) introduced a bill supporters called “Protecting our Kids from Porn” — House Bill 1257 — that would have required porn websites to conduct age verification to ensure that children weren’t viewing their material.

Seems like a no-brainer, right? Countless studies show the damage pornography does to young minds, affecting them physically, emotionally, and making them addicts for life. At the time, South Dakota would have become the ninth state to pass this law. Now 19 other states have passed this legislation. Shockingly, HB1257 was killed in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 29, 2024.

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