What Does Supreme Court Ruling on Porn Mean for Children?

Wise parents understand that independence and freedom are critical for proper growth of children. Today is Independence Day, the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is a perfect day to recognize that the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of freedom and independence from porn for our children. Jaco Booyens wrote that the Supreme Court decision was a “resounding moral affirmation” that “Children deserve protection from online pornography.” 

Booyens wrote that Big Porn used “the First Amendment like a shield” as it built a “billion-dollar industry” “on addiction, abuse, and shattered innocence.” However, the “shield” was ripped away when “the court drew a line in the sand” when it upheld “Texas’ pornography age-verification law.”

Texas’ age-verification law was never about silencing speech. It was about defending the voiceless and restoring the most basic responsibility we have as a society: to guard our children from harm.

That’s why my team at Jaco Booyens Ministries joined this case as a friend of the court. Our team submitted a brief to the Supreme Court that shared the lived experiences of survivors, the neurological science on childhood trauma, and the irrefutable consequences of exposure to online pornography.

As our brief stated in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton: “There is no liberty in trauma. There is no freedom in addiction. When minors are exposed to pornography, they are not exercising constitutional rights, they are being wounded by the unchecked rights of others.”

Still, the porn industry screamed “censorship.” Companies sued, claiming this was a violation of their “rights.” But what about our children’s right not to be harmed? What about the parents fighting to keep predators out of their homes?

The court acknowledged what every honest parent already knows: Access to this kind of content isn’t harmless. It isn’t “education.” It is psychological, emotional, and spiritual violence. During oral arguments, Justice Amy Coney Barrett captured the heart of the issue when she asked, “Why should it be so easy for a 12-year-old to access this kind of material online, when we all know it can be incredibly damaging?”

That wasn’t a rhetorical flourish; it was a recognition of truth.

For children, exposure to pornographic material isn’t a neutral event. It reshapes the brain. It numbs empathy. It seeds confusion, fear, and addiction. I can no longer pretend this is just about speech. This is about harm. Real harm. And the court, at long last, chose to see it….

This victory isn’t just for Texas; it’s a win for every child in America. It sends a clear message to every state in this nation: You have the power to protect your children… children are worth protecting, that their innocence is not up for sale, and their safety is not negotiable.

Let this ruling be a turning point – for our families, for our faith, for our future.

Wise parents understand that pornography is dangerous for children and adolescents in numerous ways. Parents can make a difference by fighting against pornography in all its versions. They can strengthen their family and then strengthen their community, state, and nation.