LOS ANGELES — The global push for online age and identity verification has added another nation to its cause, as Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki outlined his country’s plans for implementation.
The announcement came in a recent radio address, with Morawiecki declaring that Poles must “protect [minors] and young people from access to pornographic material and content, just as we shield them from alcohol and drugs — with all strictness.”
“A number of reports show that the problem of [minors'] easy access to porn is growing,” Morawiecki said, claiming that porn “disrupts emotional function, disrupts the perception of sexuality, leads to very serious emotional deficiencies and to threats in the future, to mental health threats of today’s young people, later adults.”
According to the Polish Press Agency, some 60 percent of Polish boys and over 20 percent of girls age 14-16 admitted to viewing porn, spurring the government to take action. Morawiecki noted that Poland is basing its efforts on how the U.K. and Israel have fared in the AV arena to perfect its own methods.
Explaining that "Being Polish means being normal," Morawiecki, an advocate of traditional family values, warned. “If there are those who will seek to wage a culture war, then we will win it. The family will win it.”
For those in the industry, Poland can be added to the list of places to watch in 2020’s evolving regulatory landscape, with XBIZ providing all the latest-breaking information that businesses will need to comply.