Utah declares porn a public health hazard

Utah became the first US state to formally declare pornography a public health crisis, in a move backed by Republicans, seeking to shield its citizens from an “epidemic“ of addictive sexual content. A major adult entertainment trade group dismissed the move as “noxious“ and an “old-fashioned morals bill“, but experts say it could open the door to other US states to follow suit. The resolution calls porn an epidemic that normalises violence against women and children and makes men less likely to want to get married. It asks the state legislature to research the impact of pornography and invest in education and efforts to prevent its production.