SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A slimmed-down version of a measure to require warning labels on pornography in Utah passed the state Senate on Friday.
The proposal would now mandate a one-sentence warning label for online or print material deemed legally obscene, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. A relatively small slice of porn is considered obscene, but that hardcore material has fewer constitutional protections.
The label would say “exposing minors to obscene material may damage or negatively impact minors.” A website could also embed in its metadata the searchable text, “utahobscenitywarning.”
The porn industry has objected to the plan, saying it could have constitutional problems and open the floodgates for lawsuits.
If it does not appear on a print publication or is not displayed for 15 seconds online, producers could be fined $2,500 for each civil violation. They could avoid penalties by showing the majority of their publications did have the label.
