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Iceland’s interior minister is working to gain support for a ban on online pornography in the country.
Ogmundur Jonasson is hoping to introduce legal measures that would make accessing online porn in the country almost impossible.
The proposal comes amidst fears over the effects of violent pornography on young people and the links to the number of violent crimes committed within Iceland.
Speaking with the Daily Mail, Jonasson said: "We have to be able to discuss a ban on violent pornography, which we all agree has a very harmful effects on young people and can have a clear link to incidences of violent crime."
The minister insists that the plans aren’t a move towards adopting censorship, but a move to maintain the safety of the woman who appear in pornography and the minors who can potentially be exposed to it.
Jonasson’s proposal follows a study run by the Icelandic government in 2010, which found that the violent scenes witnessed in pornographic content are widely available on the internet, and have subsequently increased the number of sexual abuse and rape crimes committed within the country.
The study also found that a high number of children who were exposed to the content showed signs of trauma as a result.
Iceland has long been an opponent of pornography and this isn’t the first time the country has moved to limit its circulation, as the country has already enforced laws that made the printing and distribution of pornographic content illegal.
The news follows similar issues faced in the UK, as the country looks for new ways to protect children from online pornography.
Just last year, the government suggested enforcing rules, which would introduce ISP filters on pornographic content and would force parents to "opt in" in order to access the content unrestricted.
