How Republicans Are Working to Destroy the First Amendment.
Under the guise of fighting adult-orientated content, the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee voted 15-13 (along partisan lines) to advance the SCREEN Act, S. 737, a sweeping age-verification bill that would require online services to verify users’ ages before they can access any sexually explicit content.
So, far S. 737 failed to advance due to an insufficient quorum at the committee hearing. But you can bet it will be back.
The SCREEN Act has no requirement that a significant portion of the website consist of sexually explicit content that is harmful to minors. The bill requires nearly any service hosting even a single piece of sexually explicit content to verify the ages of its users. The result is that the bill would apply not only to adult content sites like PornHub or OnlyFans, but also streaming services like Netflix, and social media platforms like Reddit, Discord, or Bluesky, if they host any adult content.
The SCREEN Act does not merely require users to attest they are adults. It specifically states that “requiring a user to confirm that the user is not a minor shall not be sufficient.” In practice, that means platforms would have to verify users’ ages using methods tied to their real identities.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/screen-act-threatens-privacy-far-beyond-adult-websites
This is a blatant attempt by the federal government to be able to identify ANY critic by simply subpoenaing ALL users' identities under the guise of investigating an alleged crime. Authorities already use such FASCIST tactics when demanding cell phone data records to discover EVERYONE who was in proximity to a crime scene. In other words, should an empty water bottle be thrown at an ICE officer during a protect, the government can ask for ALL cell data from phone companies to find out EVERYONE who was at that protest in order to arrest the bottle-thrower. But the REAL AIM is to get a list of EVERYONE who was at the protest!
The author is Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), a well-known free speech OPPONENT. Oh, and he also wants to DESTROY Social Security to boot!
Co-sponsors include:
Sen. John R. Curtis (R-UT), 02/26/2025
Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN), 02/26/2025
Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), 11/19/2025
Sen. David McCormick (R-OK), 06/02/2026
S. 737 is nothing but a FASCIST attempt to silence critics by PRETENDING to do what PARENTS can already do.
There would be nothing wrong with requiring SHOWING an ID to a librarian indicating proof of age (just like one does to show a clerk at the market to buy a case of beer). But the government has no business electronically dictating what adults do in the privacy of their own homes.
So, far S. 737 failed to advance due to an insufficient quorum at the committee hearing. But you can bet it will be back.
The SCREEN Act has no requirement that a significant portion of the website consist of sexually explicit content that is harmful to minors. The bill requires nearly any service hosting even a single piece of sexually explicit content to verify the ages of its users. The result is that the bill would apply not only to adult content sites like PornHub or OnlyFans, but also streaming services like Netflix, and social media platforms like Reddit, Discord, or Bluesky, if they host any adult content.
The SCREEN Act does not merely require users to attest they are adults. It specifically states that “requiring a user to confirm that the user is not a minor shall not be sufficient.” In practice, that means platforms would have to verify users’ ages using methods tied to their real identities.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/screen-act-threatens-privacy-far-beyond-adult-websites
This is a blatant attempt by the federal government to be able to identify ANY critic by simply subpoenaing ALL users' identities under the guise of investigating an alleged crime. Authorities already use such FASCIST tactics when demanding cell phone data records to discover EVERYONE who was in proximity to a crime scene. In other words, should an empty water bottle be thrown at an ICE officer during a protect, the government can ask for ALL cell data from phone companies to find out EVERYONE who was at that protest in order to arrest the bottle-thrower. But the REAL AIM is to get a list of EVERYONE who was at the protest!
The author is Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), a well-known free speech OPPONENT. Oh, and he also wants to DESTROY Social Security to boot!
Co-sponsors include:
Sen. John R. Curtis (R-UT), 02/26/2025
Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN), 02/26/2025
Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), 11/19/2025
Sen. David McCormick (R-OK), 06/02/2026
S. 737 is nothing but a FASCIST attempt to silence critics by PRETENDING to do what PARENTS can already do.
There would be nothing wrong with requiring SHOWING an ID to a librarian indicating proof of age (just like one does to show a clerk at the market to buy a case of beer). But the government has no business electronically dictating what adults do in the privacy of their own homes.
36-40, F
