A bill that would have required cellphone manufacturers to activate pornography filters on devices used by minors automatically failed to pass the Idaho Senate State Affairs Committee.

Senate Bill 1158 (SB 1158), also called the Children’s Device Protection Act, was narrowly defeated in a 5-4 vote, with lawmakers citing concerns about enforcement, effectiveness, and government overreach.

Had it passed, SB 1158 would have:

• Mandated cellphone and tablet manufacturers to install internet filtering software on all devices sold or activated in Idaho for minors.
• Held manufacturers liable if a minor accessed “obscene material” on an unfiltered device.
• Imposed fines ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 for violations.

Manufacturers that made a “good-faith effort” to comply with the law would have been exempt from penalties.

Supporters of SB 1158 argued that it was necessary to protect children from explicit content, with some traveling hours across Idaho to testify.

“We have advanced far beyond those days of a bad magazine found in the gutter,” said Craig Cobia, a representative from the nonprofit Citizens for Decency, emphasizing the accessibility of online pornography for children.

Sen. Kevin Cook (R-Idaho Falls), who sponsored the bill, acknowledged the law wouldn’t be perfect but saw it as a tool to help parents.

“Parents still have to be parents,” Cook said. “There is no false sense of security … you still got to be a parent.”

During the hearing, 16 people testified in favor, while only five opposed the bill.

Despite strong testimony in favor, opponents from across the political spectrum raised serious concerns about the bill’s effectiveness and unintended consequences.

Fred Birnbaum of the Idaho Freedom Foundation criticized the bill for targeting device manufacturers instead of the pornography industry itself.

Amy Bos, director of state and federal affairs for NetChoice, warned that requiring automatic content filtering could set a “slippery slope” for government overreach into private family matters.

Sen. Brandon Shippy (R-New Plymouth) pointed out that minors could simply falsify their age to bypass restrictions.
“This bill represents a slippery slope toward broader government intervention in private family matters,” Bos said.

Psychologists Challenge the “Porn Addiction” Narrative
Psychologists and researchers also challenged the scientific basis of the bill, arguing that porn consumption is not necessarily an “addiction.”

Dr. Cameron Staley, a psychologist who has studied compulsive sexual behaviors, found that stress and shame—not exposure to explicit content—were the key drivers of problematic porn consumption.

Senators Call for Parental Responsibility Instead
Some lawmakers, while acknowledging the dangers of pornography, felt the bill was misguided.

“What I think is the reality is that this is more of a paper tiger,” said Sen. Ben Toews (R-Coeur d’Alene). “If parents believe for a second that this legislation protects their children when they hand them a phone, we are doing the parents of Idaho a great disservice.”

Toews suggested that parents should take responsibility by limiting their children’s access to phones and internet-enabled devices rather than relying on government-mandated filters.

With SB 1158 officially dead, Idaho lawmakers may revisit online safety measures through alternative approaches, such as:

• Expanding digital literacy programs for children and parents.
• Encouraging voluntary parental controls rather than government mandates.
• Focusing on educational campaigns instead of restrictive legislation.

For now, Idaho joins a growing list of states struggling to balance child safety with digital rights, as debates over pornography, parental control, and online censorship continue to heat up nationwide.