Amy Croll
As I read through this considering my past 30 years of work with young people (as a social worker in the home, with foster care kids, conducting communitybased groups, hosting international students in my home, and working with young people in schools), I'm left wondering two questions of how this legislation will pertain to the two scenarios that I have consistently seen obscene materials at play: 1) The inquisitive teen/preteen who get information from their friend, usually in the form of a Playboy or other magazine buried deep in a couch, the "club house" of a garage, or hidden in some other area only known by the minors, and2) The parent who has obscene materials scattered around their house, in their place of business, etc. I've walked into many shops with an obscene calendar (or 3 or 5) on the wall. Does this apply to them? What about homes or family friends' homes where obscene reading materials are left in the bathrooms? Again, I agree that we want to ensure children are not nefariously exposed to obscene materials. Based on my 30 years of experience working with young people, these two scenarios are the ones consistently cited when young people discuss obscene materials that they were exposed to that did harm. Young people have access to just about anything on the internet, which they can access from the palm of their hand. Are we going to regulate what parents allow them to access? These are the questions I have while reading through this legislation. I'm not sure what problem this legislation is designed to try to solve, but it certainly is not access.
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