Online Pornography Age Verification Laws by U.S. State

Since 2023, select U.S. states have enacted age verification laws to restrict access to smartphone applications and websites that feature pornography and other digitized forms of sexually explicit content (OnlyFans, et cetera). Unlike typical age verification prompts, which simply ask a user to click or tap a YES/NO button to confirm legal age for their respective state of residence, these new laws require a user to upload state-issued identification such as a driver’s license. U.S. passports are also permitted forms of age verification.

These new laws have caused an uproar not just from legal-aged users who are concerned about privacy, but from the online platforms who depend upon the maintenance of traffic levels to sustain revenue. Operators such as PornHub, the world's leading online pornography streaming platform, have pulled out of U.S. states that have enacted age verification laws, citing that such measures violate the U.S. Constitution and Free Speech. Consequently, users are left to access offshore platforms that are beyond the legal reach of U.S. regulators. Others subvert regional barriers via the use of virtual private networks (VPNs).

As America’s preeminent provider of virtual counseling services for those struggling with hyper-sexuality issues, including pornography addiction, we are beholden to keep the public informed about anything that may impact their behavior as it applies to the consumption of sexually explicit content. For this reason we have put together a dynamic list and map of online pornography age verification laws by state. This allows a user to identify when they are on an offshore platform that may present a greater risk to their mental health, as these platforms may feature more extreme forms of sexually explicit content. It’s important to note that the need to view increasingly intense scenes to attain the same dopamine-inducing sensation is one of porn addiction's signs and symptoms. Meanwhile, this resource also helps vulnerable (to compulsive behaviors) citizens identify that their use of a pornography may be occurring in a state that has laws in place to protect resident mental wellbeing. At minimum, age verification prompts may give someone pause long enough to question whether or not they are using porn responsibly.