Multipartisan support in the Polish parliament for a citizens’ bill aimed at protecting children from online pornography.

Ordo Iuris

· During its first reading, the Polish Sejm referred the citizens’ bill on protecting minors from online pornography to committee work.

· The bill aims to restrict children’s access to pornography by introducing effective age-verification mechanisms for such websites.

· A debate was held in the Sejm today, where the need for the bill and the feasibility of its proposed solutions were discussed.

· Representatives of all parliamentary groups expressed support for regulations limiting minors’ access to pornography.

· No parliamentary group motioned to reject the draft, nor did anyone oppose referring the bill to the Committee on Digitization, Innovation, and Emerging Technologies and the Committee on Children and Youth Affairs.

More than 200,000 citizen signatures in support of the bill were submitted to the Sejm, Poland’s lower house of parliament, just before Christmas. The signatures were delivered in gift-wrapped boxes, symbolizing what the bill’s promoters described as “the best Christmas gift Polish adults could give to children.”

On behalf of the Legislative Initiative Committee, lawyer Rafał Dorosiński from Ordo Iuris presented the bill’s justification, highlighting its broad public support.

“I stand before you today on behalf of 212,000 citizens who have signed a bill aimed at protecting Polish children from one of the most alarming modern phenomena—unrestricted exposure to even the most extreme pornographic content,” he stated. He added that nearly 80% of Poles support the introduction of such regulations.

Dorosiński cited data illustrating the widespread consumption of pornography among young people, noting that:

• The average age at which children first encounter pornographic content is under 11 years old.
• One in four teenagers reports watching pornography daily.

“It is quite obvious that we are dealing with a phenomenon of massive proportions,” he emphasized.

The Committee’s representative also outlined the negative effects of youth exposure to pornography. He noted that it normalizes not only objectification but also the violent and degrading treatment of women. Furthermore, he highlighted that pornography consumption poses a significant risk of addiction, comparable to drug, tobacco, alcohol, and gambling addiction.

Dorosiński pointed to international examples of similar measures:

“In the United States, nearly half of all states have enacted age verification laws for adult websites over the past three years. France, the United Kingdom, and, more recently, Italy have taken concrete steps in this direction, and more countries will follow.”

He then outlined the proposed regulations, emphasizing that pornography websites would be required to implement effective age-verification mechanisms.

“This is the crux of the entire regulation—a classic model already in use in the aforementioned countries,” he stressed.

Additionally, he explained that the age verification system must be effective and would be subject to oversight by the President of the Office of Electronic Communications (UKE).

“The penalty for failing to comply with age verification requirements will be blocking access to non-compliant websites by internet providers and blocking payment services by payment processors,” Dorosiński announced.

He also highlighted the bill’s strengths, particularly its precise provisions and commitment to protecting user anonymity.

“The bill addresses a clearly defined issue whose harmfulness is widely recognized by both experts and the public. It directly targets a phenomenon we all want to combat and one on which there is broad social and scientific consensus,” he stated.

He reassured that the bill prioritizes data protection and privacy, emphasizing that existing age verification tools allow users to maintain full anonymity.

Dorosiński also underscored the bill’s role in supporting parents:

“Parents have the right to expect real support from the state in ensuring a pornography-free Internet for their children—just as they have the right to expect protection from drugs, pedophilia, alcohol, and gambling.”

He encouraged further progress on the bill and referenced the government’s draft law on protecting children from harmful content.

“Combining work on both proposals will help create an optimal regulation, incorporating the best solutions from both drafts. By working together, we maximize the chances of developing a law that enjoys broad societal support—something rare in today’s divisive climate.”

“Let’s take this opportunity to build at least one coalition of goodwill around children’s welfare,” he concluded.

Parliamentary delegates presented their views on the bill, followed by a lengthy debate. Some questions were directed to Michał Gramatyka, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Digitization. Gramatyka described the bill as a “good project” and expressed willingness to collaborate on both legislative initiatives.

Ultimately, the bill was referred, without dissenting votes, to the Committee on Digitization, Innovation, and Emerging Technologies and the Committee on Children and Youth Affairs for further work.