Age checks
Why adult sites ask for ID: age checks by state
By GayCompare Editors Published 6 sources
Short answer
Because the law where you are may require it. Our research lists 27 US states with adult-site age-verification laws in force as of October 4, 2026, along with the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Brazil and South Korea. In those places a site has to check your age with more than a click, or it can choose to turn visitors away instead. The Supreme Court upheld Texas's law in June 2025.
- 27 US states had adult-site age-check laws in force in our research as of October 4, 2026.
- The Supreme Court upheld Texas's H.B. 1181 on June 27, 2025, in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton.
- Some sites block a state instead of checking IDs. CBS News reported Aylo doing this for Pornhub in Florida from January 1, 2025.
- Texas bars sites and age checkers from keeping identifying information. Ohio requires deletion of age-check data except what account access and billing need.
- We don't cover workarounds. Follow the rules where you live.
The short version
Age-check laws for adult sites now cover much of the US and several other countries. Where one applies, a site has to check your age with a real method, such as ID, a card or an estimate from a photo, not just an “I am 18” button. Some sites run the check; others block the state.
This page lists where the rules apply, from the same research our own site uses. It is a summary, not legal advice.
US states with laws in force
| State | In force since | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | Jan 1, 2023 | Law or regulator |
| Utah | May 3, 2023 | Law or regulator |
| Mississippi | Jul 1, 2023 | Law or regulator |
| Virginia | Jul 1, 2023 | Law or regulator |
| Arkansas | Aug 1, 2023 | Law or regulator |
| Texas | Sep 19, 2023 | Law or regulator |
| Montana | Jan 1, 2024 | Law or regulator |
| North Carolina | Jan 1, 2024 | Law or regulator |
| Idaho | Jul 1, 2024 | Law or regulator |
| Kansas | Jul 1, 2024 | Law or regulator |
| Kentucky | Jul 15, 2024 | Law or regulator |
| Nebraska | Jul 19, 2024 | Law or regulator |
| Indiana | Aug 16, 2024 | Law or regulator |
| Alabama | Oct 1, 2024 | Law or regulator |
| Oklahoma | Nov 1, 2024 | Law or regulator |
| Florida | Jan 1, 2025 | Law or regulator |
| South Carolina | Jan 1, 2025 | Law or regulator |
| Tennessee | Jan 13, 2025 | Law or regulator |
| Georgia | Jul 1, 2025 | Law or regulator |
| South Dakota | Jul 1, 2025 | Law or regulator |
| Wyoming | Jul 1, 2025 | Law or regulator |
| North Dakota | Aug 1, 2025 | Law or regulator |
| Arizona | Sep 26, 2025 | Law or regulator |
| Ohio | Sep 30, 2025 | Law or regulator |
| Missouri | Nov 30, 2025 | Law or regulator |
| West Virginia | Jun 12, 2026 | Law or regulator |
| Iowa | Jul 1, 2026 | Law or regulator |
Most of these laws reach sites where more than about a third of the material is harmful to minors. Kansas counts 25% of the pages viewed in a month instead, and Wyoming, South Dakota and Ohio set no percentage threshold at all.
Texas was the test case. On June 27, 2025, the Supreme Court upheld H.B. 1181 by 6 to 3 in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton. The Texas law accepts digital ID, or a commercial system that uses government ID or transactional data, run by the site itself or by a third party.
Outside the US
| Country | In force since | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | Apr 1, 2003 | Law or regulator |
| South Korea | Sep 16, 2012 | Law or regulator |
| France | Jan 11, 2025 | Law or regulator |
| United Kingdom | Jan 17, 2025 | Law or regulator |
| Italy | Nov 12, 2025 | Law or regulator |
| Australia | Mar 9, 2026 | Law or regulator |
| Brazil | Mar 17, 2026 | Law or regulator |
In the UK, Ofcom told sites that publish their own porn, which it says includes studios and pay sites, to start age checks in January 2025, and every service that allows pornography needed “highly effective” age assurance by July 25, 2025. Ticking a box to say you are 18 does not count.
Why a site may block your state instead
A law that requires an age check does not require the site to offer one. Some operators decide that blocking a state is simpler. CBS News reported that Aylo, which also runs Men.com and Sean Cody, blocked Pornhub in Florida from January 1, 2025, rather than verify IDs there, arguing that age checks should happen on the device.
If a membership site won’t let you in from your state, that is its choice about how to comply. We don’t cover ways around it, and regulators such as Ofcom tell sites not to encourage them.
What an ID check is allowed to keep
The laws set limits on what happens to your data:
- Texas bars both the site and any third-party checker from retaining “any identifying information.”
- Ohio requires sites to delete age-check data immediately, except what they keep for account access and billing, and to re-verify subscribers every two years.
Before you upload anything, find out who runs the check and what it keeps. Our privacy checklist covers how to vet a check, and our deletion guide covers getting the data removed later.
Sources
- Free Speech Coalition, Inc. v. Paxton, No. 23-1122 (slip opinion) Supreme Court of the United States · accessed Oct 4, 2026
- H.B. 1181, 88th Legislature, enrolled bill text Texas Legislature · accessed Oct 4, 2026
- Ohio Revised Code 1349.10: Internet age verification Ohio Legislative Service Commission · accessed Oct 4, 2026
- Age checks to protect children online Ofcom · accessed Oct 4, 2026
- Online age checks now in force Ofcom · accessed Oct 4, 2026
- Pornhub blocks access to its site in Florida CBS News Miami · accessed Oct 5, 2026
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