Pittsburgh's Largest Newspaper Calls for State Regulation of Adult Content

Pittsburgh's Largest Newspaper Calls for State Regulation of Adult Content

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the city’s largest newspaper, published an editorial Thursday calling for state intervention to “shield kids from online porn.”

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial board asked the Pennsylvania government to “join several other states — states with both Republican and Democratic leadership — to require internet porn companies to verify the age of those who access their content.”

The editorial also called for an eventual federal policy to target adult content, urging the U.S. to “join other nations in adopting a uniform national strategy for youth online safety.”

The editorial board’s call for government-imposed, content-based speech restrictions bears the title “State Must Shield Kids From Online Porn.”

The editorialists make the now familiar analogy that watching adult content — however it is defined — is equivalent to ingesting alcohol or inhaling tobacco smoke, a debunked argument popular with religiously-inspired “porn addiction” proponents.

In the case of those substances, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette argues, “the state helps parents through the teaching — and punishing — force of the law by imposing minimum ages and banning certain kinds of advertising.”

These regulatory laws, they continue, “recognize parents aren’t just up against the strong wills of their children, but multinational corporations that see their children as potential — and potentially very loyal and lucrative — customers. These laws are not moral judgments about the substances themselves, but about their safety and appropriateness for still-developing minds and bodies.”

The editorialists then refer to unspecified “studies” supposedly showing that “early exposure to porn is associated with regressive attitudes toward gender roles; early sexual experimentation and aggression; poorer mental health; and dangerously unrealistic views of sex and sexuality.”

The paper provides only vague anecdotal evidence for its case for state censorship, citing “the everyday experience of anyone who works with today’s teenagers.”

The editorial also appeals to unspecified “evidence” — echoing myths largely spread by online incel communities — supposedly showing that “the ubiquity of porn is related to an unprecedented rise in sexual dysfunction among young men, who become trained to respond to the unreality of porn and struggle to respond to a real partner.”

The editorial then goes on to endorse the copycat anti-porn legislation mandating age verification, first introduced in Louisiana by a religious therapist and legislator, and then mimicked in Arkansas, Montana, Mississippi, Utah, Virginia and Texas.

As XBIZ reported, the Texas law — which also mandated that adult websites post “health warnings” repeating anti-porn propaganda — was blocked by a court injunction before it was due to be implemented Sept. 1, over serious issues with its constitutionality, after a lawsuit brought by FSC and adult businesses and creators.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Pineapple Support, Streamate to Host 'Navigating Grief and Loss' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Streamate are hosting a free online support group to help performers cope with grief and loss.

Friday is Final AV Compliance Deadline in UK

Friday, July 25 marks U.K. media regulator Ofcom’s deadline for user-to-user services such as tube, cam and fan sites to implement its requisite “highly effective age assurance” measures for preventing minors from viewing adult content.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for May, June

AEBN has released the top search terms for the months of May and June from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Two Texas Bills Restricting Sex Toy Sales Fail to Pass

Two bills aimed at restricting sales of sex toys have failed to pass the Texas state legislature during its 2025 session.

NYC Adult Stores Petition for Rehearing in Zoning Law Case

A group of adult businesses on Tuesday petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit to rehear a case involving a zoning law that could severely limit adult stores’ operations in New York City.

Ofcom Releases Transparency Reporting Guidelines

Ofcom, the U.K. media regulator, has made public its official guidance detailing how online service providers — including adult sites — will be required to publish annual transparency reports on their efforts to protect children from online harms.

New AV Rules Take Effect for Ireland-Based Sites

Ireland’s Online Safety Code came into force Monday, including a provision requiring adult sites headquartered in Ireland to implement age assurance measures beyond self-declaration.

XBIZ Amsterdam Calls on New Startups for 'Spotlight' Program

XBIZ is pleased to announce that its new “Startup Spotlight” programming will make its European premiere at XBIZ Amsterdam 2025, set to take place Sept. 2-5 at the Jakarta Hotel Amsterdam.

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

JuicyAds Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

JuicyAds has won its World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the company's site and defraud customers.

Show More