Ohio is the latest state to require age verification to access adult content: List of states with Pornhub laws

A new Ohio law requires web user to provide a photo ID or other form of verification before they can access pornography in the state, joining with a number of other states.

The new law came into effect on September 30, requiring that organizers selling or presenting materials “obscene or harmful to juveniles” must confirm the user’s age. Those failing to do so are at risk of legal ramification.

However USA Today reports that website Pornhub is fighting back, arguing that it is protected as an “interactive computer service.” In the past Google, Meta and other web hosting platforms have been able to get around content restriction guidelines and Pornhub’s parent company Aylo has claimed the same exception. According to Mashable, this is the full list of states with an active age verification requirement...

For years age verification for online porn access is a patchwork of state-by-state laws but recent court rulings are moving toward broader enforcement. Given First Amendment concerns, there’s no sweeping federal law yet that forces all porn sites to verify users’ ages. But individual states are taking matters into their own hands and courts are now backing some of those laws.

Most states that now require age checks demand that websites use “reasonable age verification” methods to ensure visitors are at least 18. That might mean uploading a state driver’s license or passport, or using a third-party identity verification service. Texas law HB1181 requires sites where over one-third of content is “sexual material harmful to minors” to force age checks before granting access. In June 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld that law, ruling that these age verification rules are constitutional so long as they’re appropriately tailored.

Ohio’s HB96 is a newer version, combining a general budget bill with an “Innocence Act” requiring porn and explicit sites to verify age via ID or verified databases, with rules for data deletion and enforcement by the state attorney general.

Critics argue age checks won’t fully block minors due to the use of VPNs or sites that simply ignore state laws. But supporters say they help shield youth from content they aren’t legally allowed to see.

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