Residents in Louisiana will now need a government-issued ID in order to enjoy their favorite Pornhub categories.
The requirement is in accordance with a new law known as Act 440. According to the regulation, which went into effect on January 1, people in the state must provide proof of their age in order to view adult content on sites such as Pornhub, Redtube, and XNXX. Lawmakers are looking to prevent minors from accessing websites that exceed 33.3 percent of pornographic content.
In the past, when entering most adult websites, the domain would ask the users to verify their date of birth. Some sites only have a general question asking whether or not the user is 18. Moving forward, Louisiana residents looking to get their rocks off must provide actual proof of their digitized identification. Users can use apps such as LA Wallet on their smartphones to have their ID digitally stored on their phones and available to scan when using the websites.
Republican Rep. Laurie Schlegel is one of the masterminds behind Act 440 and says this is also a way to hold porn companies liable for presenting harmful content to the youth. The law will allow parents to sue on behalf of their children.
“Minors are getting unlimited access to it on the internet. So, if pornography companies aren’t going to be responsible, I thought we would hold them accountable,” Schlegel explained.
Schlegel is also a sex addiction therapist and says porn addiction is the root of a growing public health crisis. Democratic Rep. Mandie Landry, on the other hand, says the new law is “unconstitutional” and likely “unenforceable.”
Act 440 makes Louisiana the first U.S. state to implement age verification when viewing adult content online, but it likely won’t be the last. California passed similar laws restricting minors’ access. Last month, in Washington D.C., Sen. Mike Lee of Utah introduced a bill that would offer similar restrictions, but on a national level.
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