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Pornography exists in many forms across the internet including pictures, videos, audio, written materials, video games, and social media posts. A majority of the US population has intentionally viewed pornography before, with an even larger majority of US young adults viewing pornography regularly. Despite the widespread use of and support for pornography, viewing sexually explicit media can have many negative consequences. For example, pornography use has been shown to correlate with decreased sex-life satisfaction, lack of positive self-image, and increased chances of divorce. Research also shows that both pornography viewers and pornography actors are likely to experience emotional health consequences. Two of the reasons people consume pornography so frequently are because the content has addictive properties and because it is widely marketed on the internet and therefore easily accessed. Likewise, the pornography industry generates massive amounts of revenue, which continually fuel the creation and advertising of new pornography. While there are many resources available to combat pornography use, the main practice to decrease pornography is to publicize its negative consequences and alert people to the risks they assume when they view sexually explicit content.

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With just weeks to go until the end of the Albany legislative session, Gov. Kathy Hochul is prioritizing the passage of a measure that aims to crack down on what she says is young New Yorkers’ addiction to social media.

“I know about this crisis because New York teens have told me themselves, in their own words,” Hochul said during an Albany-based press conference Wednesday. “When you hear the pain in their voices, it hits you right here. Because we’re hardwired to just make life easier and more joyful. Childhood is supposed to be a joyful, happy time.”

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Google and Meta are spearheading a fierce push to kill New York legislation aimed at protecting children online — and the controversial lobbying battle is poised to surpass $1 million in spending, The Post has learned.

A group of Big Tech firms, advocacy groups and companies from other sectors have spent $823,235 lobbying Albany lawmakers through mid-March as two high-profile bills – the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act and the New York Child Data Protection Act – advance toward votes, according to recent public disclosures.

“This is an astonishing amount of money to be spent to kill two reasonable bills,” said one longtime Albany insider who requested anonymity to discuss the lobbying push.

The SAFE Act would crack down on addictive recommendation algorithms used by social media apps by requiring them to provide default chronological feeds for users 18 or younger unless they receive parental consent. It would also allow parents to impose time limits on social media use and in-app notifications.

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