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What If I Want My Kids To Watch Pornography?: Protecting Children From "Indecent" Speech, Ashutosh Bhagwat

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Under current First Amendment doctrine, a law directed at indecent speech is treated as "content-based" regulation of speech, and thus must satisfy the "strict scrutiny" test to survive constitutional challenge - the regulation must be narrowly tailored to advance a compelling state interest. A number of laws regulating indecent speech have been passed in recent years, and when challenged, the government has defended these regulations on the ground that the State has a compelling interest in the protection of children from harmful materials. Underlying this argument, however, is a deep ambiguity regarding the precise nature of the government's legitimate objectives …