The lawmaker who spearheaded Russia's ban on ‘gay propaganda’ now wants an end to free Internet porn

Russian State Duma deputy Vitaly Milonov has appealed to Nikolai Nikiforov, the head of the Mass Media and Communications Ministry, suggesting a ban on free pornography websites. According to the news agency RIA Novosti, Milonov also wants to cut off Russians’ access all porn websites, until the creation of effective age-verification measures.

Best known for spearheading the ban on so-called “gay propaganda” in St. Petersburg, Milonov says easy access to Internet porn presents a danger to juveniles’ mental health. In his letter to Nikiforov, Milonov reportedly cites the work of several psychologists and psychiatrists who argue that early exposure to pornography can lead to the development of sexual and psychological problems.

The Russian lawmaker reportedly says free porn websites are blocked “in a number of countries” as a way of regulating access to content without effective age-verification systems, though RIA Novosti does not say if Milonov cited any specific countries.

In July 2017, in an effort to avoid being blocked again in Russia, the world’s largest adult website, Pornhub, instituted a new age-verification system that requires visitors in Russia to login through a Vkontakte account to prove that they’re 18 or older, making it impossible to view the site anonymously.