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FLORIDA, November 22, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – The state of Florida may declare pornography a public health crisis because of the myriad health and brain problems it causes.

Rep. Ross Spano, who represents House District 59, introduced a resolution acknowledging “pornography is creating a public health crisis and contributing to the hypersexualization of children and teens.”

If the resolution passes, the declaration that pornography is a public health crisis will mean the government “acknowledges the need for education, prevention, research, and policy change to protect the citizens of this state.”

Twenty-seven percent of young adults between the ages of 25 and 30 viewed pornography before the onset of puberty, the resolution says.

“Pornography has potential detrimental effects on the user, including, but not limited to, mental and physical illnesses; difficulty forming or maintaining intimate relationships; unhealthy brain development and cognitive function; deviant, problematic, or dangerous sexual behaviors; and addiction,” it adds.

“A child who views pornography is at a higher risk of developing low self-esteem, an eating disorder, and a desire to engage in dangerous sexual behavior,” the resolution explains.

Spano’s resolution also notes that pornography objectifies women and fuels the sex trafficking industry.

Pornography “normalizes violence and the abuse of women and children, and depicts rape and abuse as harmless, thereby increasing the demand for sex trafficking, prostitution, and child pornography.”

“Recent research indicates that pornography is potentially biologically addictive, resulting in the user consuming increasingly more shocking material to satisfy the addiction,” it notes.

A new documentary called Over 18 explores how the pornography industry has changed thanks to the Internet, and how easy it is for children to stumble across porn and become addicted to it.

The story of Joseph, who was first exposed to pornography at age nine while in third grade, backs up the resolution’s assertion about users consuming “increasingly more shocking material to satisfy the addiction.”

So do the experiences of countless others.

Joseph’s exposure to extremely violent pornography showing the abuse of women means his parents have had to tell him real sex isn’t like that.

“Most parents don’t have to talk to their kids about orgies,” his mom laments in the documentary.

“Pornography has a detrimental effect on families and is linked to a reluctance to enter into marriage, dissatisfaction in marriage, and marital infidelity,” the Florida resolution says.

This, too, is backed up by a large body of research showing porn use damages intimacy, fuels isolation, and hurts relationships.

Kay Warren, the wife of evangelical pastor Rick Warren, revealed in her book Sacred Privilege: Your Life and Ministry as a Pastor’s Wife her own struggle with pornography addiction and how it nearly destroyed her marriage.

Secular celebrities like Chris Rock and Russell Brand have all also publicly acknowledged the harms of pornography. Rock said it contributed to the ruin of his marriage.

Orlando Weekly mocked Spano for trying to address the problems created by pornography rather than the state’s law allowing minors to get married. The outlet also reported that in January, Spano’s twitter account “liked” a pornographic tweet.

“With a thorough examination of my accounts, it will be easy to see that this is not my doing,” said Spano. He said “rectified the problem” and is “looking into how it occurred in the first place.”

But “I don’t believe any of this takes the focus off of the fact that there is a direct correlation between pornography and a host of societal problems, including human trafficking, exploitation of children, sex slavery, and domestic violence,” he concluded.

Spano recently announced he is running for Florida Attorney General.

Utah has already declared pornography a “public health hazard.”