Polish government demands free porn blocker from providers

The measure aims to protect children against sexually explicit imagery Notes from Poland reports. Politicians introduced the draft after a report showed that about a quarter of school-going teens indicated they regularly watch porn.

If the Polish Parliament approves the law as well, the Ministers hope it can go into force in September. In that case, internet providers must inform their customers that such a filter is available. They will also be required to submit an annual report about their measures and promote the use of a blocker. If they violate the law, they can be subject to penalties.

Paris court to decide on porn blocker for minors in July

18-04-2023

Ban

Internet providers have the freedom to design their own porn blocker, Janusz Cieszyński, the Digital Affairs Minister, says to Notes from Poland. The only requirements are that it is user-friendly and can be activated anytime. In addition, the user should not have to do much about the blocker for it to work.

The Minister stressed that the measure's goal is not to ban pornography entirely but rather to provide people with a tool to protect themselves against porn if they want to.

According to Cieszyński, pornography is becoming more and more easily accessible. He describes the trend as “a real problem for young people”. He added that it is the duty of the government “to support parents in solving this problem and therefore to make available an effective and simple tool.”

New app should help child porn addicts

27-02-2023

Finding

Last year, a report from the NASK, the Polish state research institute, showed that 24 per cent of children between 11 and 16 regularly watched online porn. Of children under 11, this percentage amounted to 21.5 per cent.

Another report finding was that in 60 per cent of the cases, parents do not check whether their child views porn.

In total, almost 5,000 children participated in the research.