But it’s no longer just about checking a “yes or no” box. Many of these laws require personal data to access certain parts of the Internet, such as a photo of a government ID or a facial recognition scan.
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While the purported purpose of these laws is to prevent minors from viewing porn, experts have told Mashable for years that Age verification does not work For that intended purpose. This is because website companies based in other countries may not comply, or citizens may attempt to circumvent these laws by using a VPN (or, in the case of the UK’s Online Security Act). Images of video game charactersPreliminary research from NYU suggests that Age verification does not workToo.
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Experts also point out the digital privacy and security issues that can arise from storing so much personal information across different websites. One is identity theft, should bad actors gain access to this data, such as through a phishing scam pretending to be the verification system for a porn site. Another reason is that if someone does not have an ID they lack access to certain parts of the Internet altogether, which can increase the digital divide.
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Nevertheless, these laws are spreading throughout the world. Here are the states and countries with age verification laws (so far).
United States of America
The United States is unique in that age-verification laws are implemented on a state-by-state basis, as opposed to federal law. while you are Not able to access pornhub For example, in Virginia, you can drive to Maryland and browse all you want.
Since Louisiana enacted its age verification law in 2023, similar bills have emerged across the country. Then, in 2025, The Supreme Court ruled that these laws are constitutionalEssentially ensuring that more states will also implement them, experts told Mashable at the time.
States that have age verification laws in place as of this publication, according to the adult industry trade organization Free Speech CoalitionAre:
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- alabama
Arizona
arkansas
Florida
Georgia
idaho
Indiana
kansas
kentucky
louisiana
mississippi
missouri
Montana
nebraska
North Carolina
North Dakota
ohio
oklahoma
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
texas
utah
Virginia
Wyoming
united kingdom
Online Security ActIncluding the UK age-verification clause, effective in July 2025. Sites and apps must use one of several methods to ascertain someone’s age, such as taking their banking information, matching a photo with an ID, or scanning their face.
Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulatory agency, said it would impose fines of up to £18 million or 10 percent of eligible worldwide revenue (whichever is greater) for sites that do not comply. Since then, “SFW” sites, from dating apps To spotify And youtubeWill or will enforce age checks in the area (and others). controversial sites 4chan and Kiwi Farms have sued OfcomStating that they do not need to comply as they operate outside the UK.
France
France’s age verification lawWhich requires a third-party system to verify the age of users for explicit sites, went into effect in June 2025. It must also be “double-blind”, meaning that the porn site cannot know the age of visitors, while the verification system cannot know which site the visitor is visiting.
However, soon after its enactment The law was temporarily suspended Unless it is recognized as legal by EU law. But in July, France’s highest court – the Council of State – revoked the suspension. This led to back-and-forth with Pornhub, which initially blocked itself in the country, then reinstated itself during that period, only to block itself again after the law’s suspension was lifted.
Italy
Starting from November 12th, Italy to implement age verification For porn sites. Last Friday, Italy’s communications agency, AGCOM, issued a list of 45 websites Those who must implement an age verification system to continue operating in the country, or receive a warning and fine of up to 250,000 euros. The list includes Pornhub and OnlyFans.
AGCOM said Its website states that a certified independent third party must verify users’ age, doing so in two steps (identification and authentication of the identified person) – and this must happen in every session. When working with an app, a separate app must be age-verified, like the Digital ID Wallet app.
Australia
This law looks a little different than in other countries, but its purpose is the same. Australia’s age verification law It says that later this year, people will have to verify their age when logging into their Google or Microsoft accounts and using those search engines. These engines should have tools or settings such as “Safe Search”, where explicit content should be completely filtered out. The highest security setting should be the default for account holders for whom the age assurance system indicates they are potentially children.
If age cannot be assured, clear material should be blurred.
China
currently porn illegal in chinaThat’s why its age-verification system also looks different. the country has strict age restrictions For video games, livestreaming and video-sharing platforms, payment processors, and social media. users must go through real name verificationUnder which it is necessary to provide your name and ID number to access these services. Depending on the app, users may also have to provide more information, such as their phone number, bank account and facial recognition scan.
This list will likely grow longer, and Mashable will update it when it does. Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom’s group director for online safety, told Mashable in June Age Verification This was a “global issue” for porn sites and global norms were sought to be established. Everything seems to be going well.
Updated: December 2, 2025, 11:49 am EST The US list has been updated to add Missouri.
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