James Thibault represents Merrimack County District 25, which includes Franklin and Northfield, in the New Hampshire House. He is the youngest state legislator in the United States.

In the age of technology, an all-too-common snare for young people is pornography addiction. It’s a story I’ve heard time and again from young men my age: They were first exposed to pornography as preteens, and since it was so readily available online with no accountability, it became an unshakable habit.

For this reason, I’m pleased to be working with Rep. Margaret Drye as a cosponsor on HB293 to restrict minors’ access to obscene material.

HB293 will protect New Hampshire youth by requiring device manufacturers to prompt parents with an age confirmation when setting up a device for their children. A content filter will automatically engage if the device is set up for a minor. This innovative and proactive approach will help parents, regardless of their technological knowledge, prevent their children from being exposed to inappropriate content.

According to the American Psychological Association, the average age of first exposure to porn is about 13 years old. Having a filter that automatically blocks obscene material will help delay that introduction, staving off the early dependency that so often develops.

Many parents are unaware of existing tools to restrict their kids’ access to obscene material, and with the accessibility of technology expanding to younger and younger children, having a front-and-center option to restrict content available during the setup process will make these resources easier for more parents to use.

The porn industry profits from young people’s addiction, significantly harming their futures and relationships. Extended porn use increases the likelihood of abuse by warping a man’s views on women and their bodies. This makes it more challenging for them to sustain quality relationships longterm. Like any addiction, porn addiction isolates people from their friends and family, causing anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. It additionally exploits sex trafficking for content creation, creating a depraved cycle in which the consumers’ use of the product harms both themselves and those featured in it.

While other barriers to online porn access have been unfairly criticized as invasive or suppressive of free speech, HB293’s approach avoids these issues. Rather than place the burden on pornography websites and users seeking to access them, this bill simply requires device manufacturers to activate device filters they’ve already designed should the device be set up from the start for a minor.

As a student myself, I’ve seen the necessity of this legislation among my peers and the impact porn has had on their lives from a young age. Many know they have a problem but struggle to stop, even with support groups and accountability services being commonplace. Some are in a such a deep hole that pornography addiction has led to failing grades and increased animosity towards their friends, peers and teachers.

While this legislation cannot protect a generation that has already grown up in this debauched culture, it can help the most impressionable students today.

This bill is an important first step to protecting New Hampshire youth, but it isn’t the only step. Parents should still strictly monitor their kids’ electronic use to ensure an additional level of scrutiny beyond what the law requires, including taking advantage of additional content filters on streaming services. Kids should also be taught digital literacy and responsibility to instill a sense of independence rather than merely relying on external protections.

Proper protections require not only state action to create a substantive foundation of restrictions but also personal responsibility and accountability. Just as we should stop children from drinking underage because of the dire consequences, so too should we prevent them from accessing the toxicity of pornography at their fingertips.

HB293 will provide parents with the tools they need to protect their kids and ensure safer, healthier and more prosperous future generations.