Texans share cautionary tales on unregulated online consumption of minors: 'I tried to take my life'
DALLAS - Lawmakers heard raw testimony from several Texans who shared their cautionary stories related to unregulated online consumption.
A state committee is looking at ways to safeguard web surfing for minors.
22-year-old Deasia Wiggins with the Harris Center for Mental Health is one of a handful of Texans who testified before the state's Joint Committee to Study the Effects of Media on Minors.
"Plenty of kids I knew and lived with accessed hardcore pornography," she said.
Wiggins testified she was exposed to online pornography at a young age when her mom died, and she ended up in the foster system.
"Due to the lack of supervision, I explored different types of pornography which created unrealistic ideas," she said. "Once I tried to imitate those scenes, it put me in very dangerous situations."
Wiggins said she fell prey to sexual exploitation. She now works as a peer counselor.
The committee is discussing the health and developmental effects that various forms of media have on minors, including social media platforms, internet sites, live video gaming and unrestricted cell phone use.
Some experts testified as well.
"Internet addiction is rapidly becoming more common and more harmful among young people than smoking, drinking and all other substance addictions," said Dr. Robert Epstein with the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology.
Dallas resident Joshua Broome, who has become a pastor, said having access to pornography as a teen skewed his views on intimacy and led to him working in the adult film industry for six years. He testified his life spiraled out of control.
"I was dying inside," he told the committee. "That led to me trying to take my life."
The bipartisan committee is gathering information with the goal of proposing new bills during the upcoming legislative session that could restrict access to certain websites by minors.
Texas already has a law ordering pornography sites to require age verification, but legal battles continue over its enforcement.
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"We restrict other addictive substances. We restrict tobacco, gambling, alcohol to 21 because we know teenagers are, specifically their brains are, primed for addiction," said Dr. Linda McGee, a pediatrician with the Texas Medical Association.
"This is happening. We're optimistic the feds will do something," said State Senator Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola). "But we're not going to wait for them. Texas is going to lead on this."
Experts point out it's not just about pornography.
A pediatrician testified that one of her patients lost 20 pounds while playing live video games because he said he would forget to eat. A teen girl said she developed an eating disorder after joining an online chat group.