M-47 Update

M-47 Update - January 2017M-47 has now been unanimously passed in the House of Commons and the study on the public health effects of the ease of access and viewing of online violent and degrading sexually explicit material on children, women and men will take place this coming spring 2017.Motion Overview:That the Standing Committee on Health be instructed to examine the public health effects of the ease of access and viewing of online violent and degrading sexually explicit material on children, women and men, recognizing and respecting the provincial and territorial jurisdictions in this regard, and that the said Committee report its findings to the House no later than July 2017.Quick Stats

• • Adult sites get more visitors each month than Netflix, Amazon and Twitter combined, with Pornhub alone receiving 21.2 billion visits in 2015.
  • 35% of all internet downloads are sexually explicit.
  • Globally, sexually explicit material is a $97 billion industry.
  • Average age of first exposure among boys is 12 years of age.
  • Sexually explicit material has become a primary source of information about sex and a significant factor influencing sexual behaviors for children and adolescents.
  • Parliament has not studied the impact of sexually explicit material since 1985 - before the Internet was invented.
  • Easily accessible violent and degrading sexually explicit material is both a public health issue and a women’s equality issue.
  • Child and adolescent exposure to violent sexually explicit material is a form of child abuse.
  • 40 years of academic research has revealed that exposure to violent sexually explicit material is harmful to physical and mental health of individuals, especially adolescents.
  • Almost 90% of mainstream sexually explicit content features violence towards women.
  • Adolescents who viewed violent sexually explicit material were six times more likely to self-report engaging in sexually aggressive behavior.
  • Youth who regularly view online sexually explicit material are significantly more likely to hold negative gender attitudes.

Parliamentarians have a responsibility to develop policy that fosters the healthy development of youth, increases child protection online, and reduces violence against women and girls.For more information on Motion M-47 and its progress, visit arnoldviersen.ca or follow him on Facebook.