June 26, 2025
Victory for Kids! U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Protections For Children From Online Pornography
High Court Also Upholds Right of Parents to Opt-Out of LGBT School Curriculum
LEXINGTON, KY – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court released its decision in Free Speech Coalition v Paxton. In a 6-3 decision, the High Court allowed states to continue to enforce their age verification laws, which protect children from the harms of pornography. The Family Foundation and over 30 of our state allies joined an amicus brief in support of Texas’s age verification law, and the Family Foundation’s legal counsel, Jesse Green, attended the oral arguments earlier this year. At least 24 states, including Kentucky, have passed age verification laws, which require adult websites to verify the ages of their users before granting access to their content.
The Supreme Court also ruled 6-3 in
Mahmoud v. Taylor that public schools must give parents notice and an opportunity to opt-out when they seek to use an LGBT curriculum in their classrooms. This ruling enhances the parental rights of religious parents in the government school setting and ensures that parents may bring their kids up based upon their beliefs, not those of government institutions. The Court’s decision overrules a misguided opinion from the Fourth Circuit, which allowed a Maryland school district to deny religious exemptions to parents seeking to opt-out of its LGBT curriculum. The Family Foundation
joined an amicus brief from our ally at Maryland Family Policy Institute supporting a coalition of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish parents in their challenge to the school district’s policy.
Statement from David Walls, executive director of The Family Foundation on Free Speech Coalition v Paxton:
“This important ruling ensures that Kentucky can continue to protect kids from the evil effects of online pornography. We are thankful for the efforts of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to defend Texas’s law and for the work of the General Assembly on Kentucky’s age verification law to protect the children of our Commonwealth. Brick and mortar stores must verify the ages of those who enter their premises, and online sources should be no different.
“Age verification laws are only the first step in fighting back against the plague of pornography. States have a duty to shield children from the massive porn and social media industries that should be protecting kids rather than profiting from them. The Family Foundation will continue to support further efforts to ensure Kentucky citizens, especially children, are protected from harm online,” Walls concluded.
Statement from David Walls, executive director of The Family Foundation on Mahmoud v. Taylor:
“We are grateful that the Supreme Court protected parental rights and religious freedom with today’s ruling. Schools should be focused on educating kids about the basics of math, reading, and writing, not seeking to indoctrinate them with radical gender ideology and LGBT propaganda.
“Parents have the right to direct the upbringing of their children, and government schools have no right to infringe upon this right. The Court correctly concluded that the Constitution does not allow government schools to circumvent the religious development of children against their parents’ will and behind their parents’ backs,” Walls concluded.
At least 24 states, including Kentucky, have passed age verification laws, which require adult websites to verify the ages of their users before granting access to their content. The Family Foundation supported the
unanimous passage of HB 278 in 2024. As a result of HB 278, Pornhub, the world’s largest distributor of adult content,
cut off access in Kentucky.
In Kentucky, public schools must also obtain an opt-in from parents before speaking to their children about topics surrounding sexuality. The Family Foundation worked hard to ensure this protection was included in SB 150 during the 2023 General Assembly.
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The Family Foundation is the leading Christian public policy organization in Kentucky and stands for Kentucky families and the Biblical values that make them strong. Learn more at kentuckyfamily.org.
