South Dakota became the twentieth state requiring pornography companies to check online consumers’ ages on February 27, joining Louisiana, Arkansas, Virginia, Utah, Montana, Texas, North Carolina, Indiana, Idaho, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Georgia, Alabama, Kansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Sixteen more states hope to pass age verification legislation before the year is up.
Described by Politico as “perhaps the most bipartisan laws in the country,” age verification laws empower parents to protect their kids by making it harder for minors to access harmful content like pornography.
Most age verification bills follow a template laid out by the Institute for Family Studies (IFS) and the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) in 2022:
They require companies who publish a “substantial” amount of adult content — usually 1/3 or more of their total production — to check the age of every person accessing their website.
They create a way for parents to sue pornography companies if their kids access content they shouldn’t.
Some states add social media age restrictions to their bills — another one of IFS and EPPC’s recommended policies. House Filing 1875 in Minnesota prevents children younger than 14 years old from creating social media accounts and requires parents to consent before 14- and 15-year-olds can sign up.
Other states, like Missouri and Hawaii, separated their legislation into two bills — one establishing an age verification requirement and another creating penalties for violators. This strategy allows representatives to approve age verification laws even if they disagree with proposed penalties.
Still other states incorporate child media protections into their bills. Ohio’s House Bill 84 would crack down on AI deepfakes by forbidding the use of “another person’s likeness to create sexual images of the other person.” Maryland’s House Bill 1212 would require manufacturers to add age verification features to all smart devices activated in the state.
Wyoming’s HB 43 jettisons the “33% adult content” threshold embraced by other states. The bill requires all online companies that publish or host adult content — no matter how little — to verify consumers’ ages. The Wyoming state House and Senate have already approved HB 43. All that’s needed to make it law is the governor’s signature.
While not perfect, age verification laws greatly restrict the amount of porn young people can consume. After Louisiana became the first state to pass such legislation in 2022, traffic to Pornhub.com from that state dropped by 80%, one spokesperson told IFS.
Scroll down to see the status of age verification bills in different states. To find out more about age verification and parents’ rights legislation in your state, contact your local Focus on the Family-allied Family Policy Council.
Louisiana
HB 142 became law on June 15, 2022.
Arkansas
SB 66 became law on April 11, 2023.
Virginia
SB 1515 became law on May 12, 2023.
Utah
SB 0287 became law on May 4, 2023.
Montana
SB 544 became law on May 19, 2023.
Texas
HB 1181 became law on June 12, 2023.
North Carolina
HB 8 became law on September 29, 2023.
Indiana
SB 17 became law on March 13, 2024.
Idaho
HB 498 became law on March 21, 2024.
Florida
HB 3 became law on March 25, 2024.
Kentucky
HB 278 became law on April 5, 2024.
Nebraska
Online Age Verification Liability Act became law on April 16, 2024.
Georgia
SB 351 became law on April 23, 2024.
Alabama
HB 164 became law on April 24, 2024.
Kansas
SB 394 became law without the Governor’s signature on April 25, 2024.
Oklahoma
SB 1959 became law on April 26, 2024.
Mississippi
HB 1126 became law without the Governor’s signature on April 30, 2024.
South Carolina
HB 3424 became law on May 29, 2024.
Tennessee
HB 1642/SB 1792 became law on June 3, 2024.
South Dakota
HB 1053 became law on February 27, 2025.
Arizona
HB 2112: passed the House on February 12; read in the Senate Rules Committee on February 26.
Hawaii
HB 1212: referred to House Consumer Protection and Commerce Committee on January 27.
HB 1198: referred to House Consumer Protection and Commerce Committee on January 27.
Illinois
SB 2082: introduced in the Senate on
February 6.
HB 1103: referred to the Senate Rules Committee on January 9.
Iowa
HF 864 (formerly HF 62): passed House Judiciary Committee on March 4; scheduled to be read in the House on March 7.
SF 443 (formerly SF 236): passed Senate Committee on Technology on February 26.
Maryland
HB 1212: referred to House Committee on Economic Matters on February 6.
HB 394: first hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on February 5.
Minnesota
HF 1875: referred to House Committee on Commerce, Finance and Policy on March 5.
SF 2105 (HF 1434): referred to Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection on March 3.
HF 1434 (SF 2105): referred to House Committee on Commerce, Finance and Policy on February 24.
Missouri
HB 236: passed House Rules committee on February 26; place on House calendar for reading on March 5.
HB 691: read in House for second time on January 9.
New York
S 3591: referred to Senate Committee on Internet and Technology on January 28.
North Dakota
HB 1561: passed the House on February 6; referred to Senate Committee on Industry and Business on February 13.
Nevada
AB 294: referred to Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor on February 25.
New Mexico
HB 44: referred to House Commerce and Economic Development Committee on January 22.
Ohio
HB 84: referred to House Technology and Innovation Committee on February 12.
West Virginia
HB 2689 (SB 293): referred to House Judiciary Committee for the third time on March 11.
SB 293 (HB 2689): referred to Senate Judiciary Committee for second time on February 25.
Oregon
HB 2032: referred to House Judiciary Committee on January 17.
Wisconsin
AB 105: first public hearing held in Assembly Committee on State Affairs on March 12.
Wyoming
HB 43: passed the House on January 30; passed the Senate on March 4.
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