In January 2023, one US state made porn sites check your age. Today it's 27. More than half the country now lives somewhere a porn site has to verify your ID, or block you completely.
"Porn ban Statistics" is what everyone searches, but the label isn't quite right. None of these laws makes porn illegal for adults. They make websites prove you're 18 before showing it. Pornhub, the biggest site of all, refuses to collect ID, so in most of these states it simply goes dark.
We've tracked every one of these laws: when it started, what it demands, where Pornhub is blocked, and what's coming next. We also cover the part most lists skip: what it all means for AI porn generators and NSFW AI chat.
QUICK ANSWER: As of 13 October 2026, 27 US states have age verification laws for porn sites in effect: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming. Pornhub has blocked users in at least 23 of them, and reportedly 25. This page reports the laws and isn't legal advice.
Porn Ban Statistics 2026: Key Numbers at a Glance
| U.S. Age Verification Laws | Key Numbers and Dates |
|---|---|
| States with a law in effect | 27 |
| States where Pornhub blocks users | At least 23 (reportedly 25) |
| First state | Louisiana, 1 January 2023 |
| Newest states | West Virginia (12 June 2026) and Iowa (1 July 2026) |
| Supreme Court ruling | Upheld 6–3 in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, 27 June 2025 |
| Typical trigger | Over one-third of a site's content is adult material |
| Typical fine | Up to $10,000 a day, more if a minor gets in |
What changed in 2026
📈 How Fast the Porn Ban Spread
The biggest jump came in 2025, when ten state laws took effect. That June, the Supreme Court upheld Texas's law, and by December half of all US states had one.
🗺️ Age Verification Laws by State: All 27
Every state with an adult-site age verification law in effect, in the order they started.
| # | State | Law | In effect since | Pornhub | What stands out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisiana | HB 142 (Act 440) | 1 Jan 2023 | Open, with age checks* | The first one. Users can sue, and the AG can fine up to $5k a day. |
| 2 | Utah | SB 287, amended by SB 73 | 3 May 2023 | Blocked | 2% tax on adult sites from 1 Oct 2026. Its VPN rule was blocked by a judge. |
| 3 | Mississippi | SB 2346 | 1 Jul 2023 | Blocked | Enforced through private lawsuits |
| 4 | Virginia | SB 1515 | 1 Jul 2023 | Blocked | Enforced through private lawsuits |
| 5 | Arkansas | SB 66 (Act 612) | 1 Aug 2023 | Blocked | Some trackers list 31 Jul 2023 |
| 6 | Texas | HB 1181 | 1 Sep 2023 | Blocked (since 14 Mar 2024) | Upheld by the Supreme Court. Up to $10k a day, plus up to $250k if a minor gets in. |
| 7 | Montana | SB 544 | 1 Jan 2024 | Blocked | Private lawsuits only |
| 8 | North Carolina | HB 8 (PAVE Act) | 1 Jan 2024 | Blocked | Private lawsuits only |
| 9 | Idaho | H 498 | 1 Jul 2024 | Blocked | At least $10k per violation |
| 10 | Kansas | SB 394 | 1 Jul 2024 | Blocked | Lower trigger: 25% of pages viewed. Private suits start at $50k. |
| 11 | Indiana | SB 17 | 16 Aug 2024 | Blocked | Law dated 1 Jul 2024, but blocked by a court until 16 Aug 2024. AG penalties up to $250k. |
| 12 | Kentucky | HB 278 | 15 Jul 2024 | Blocked | Private lawsuits only, at least $10k per instance |
| 13 | Nebraska | LB 1092 | 19 Jul 2024 | Blocked | Some trackers list 18 Jul |
| 14 | Alabama | HB 164 | 1 Oct 2024 | Blocked | 10% tax on adult sites' Alabama revenue, plus required health warnings |
| 15 | Oklahoma | SB 1959 | 1 Nov 2024 | Blocked | Parents can sue |
| 16 | Florida | HB 3 | 1 Jan 2025 | Blocked | Up to $50k per violation. Sites must offer an anonymous verification option. |
| 17 | South Carolina | H 3424 | 1 Jan 2025 | Blocked | AG and private lawsuits |
| 18 | Tennessee | Public Chapter 1021 | 1 Jan 2025 | Blocked | Breaking it is a felony. Users must re-verify every 60 minutes. |
| 19 | Georgia | SB 351 | 1 Jul 2025 | Blocked | Up to $10k per violation |
| 20 | Wyoming | HB 43 | 1 Jul 2025 | Blocked | Also accepts age-restricted cards and bank data |
| 21 | South Dakota | HB 1053 | 1 Jul 2025 | Blocked | Criminal penalties: a misdemeanour, then a felony for repeat offences |
| 22 | North Dakota | HB 1561 | 1 Aug 2025 | Blocked | Private lawsuits only |
| 23 | Arizona | HB 2112 | 26 Sep 2025 | Blocked | Up to $10k a day, plus $10k for each time data is kept |
| 24 | Ohio | HB 96 (state budget) | 30 Sep 2025 | Open | Pornhub says an exemption for "interactive computer services" covers it |
| 25 | Missouri | AG rule, then HB 1839 | 30 Nov 2025 (law from 28 Aug 2026) | Blocked | Third-party checks and mental-health warnings required |
| 26 | West Virginia | HB 4412 | 12 Jun 2026 | Reportedly blocked† | Up to $10k a day, plus $250k if a minor gets in |
| 27 | Iowa | HF 864 | 1 Jul 2026 | Reportedly blocked† | $1k per violation, capped at $10k a day |
* Louisiana: Pornhub has used third-party age checks there since 2023, though some lists show it as blocked. † West Virginia and Iowa blocks have so far been reported only by VPN industry sites, not by news outlets.
Where is Pornhub blocked?
Pornhub's owner, Aylo, blocks users in states where it would otherwise have to collect ID. As of October 2026 it's blocked in 23 states according to news reports: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming. West Virginia and Iowa reportedly make it 25. Louisiana and Ohio are the two law states where Pornhub is still available.
Other big sites make their own choices. Some verify age and some block. Sites that ignore the law risk fines of up to $10,000 a day.
🪪 What These Laws Require
Most of the 27 laws are close copies of Louisiana's original, with local tweaks. Most share the same basics.
Which sites they cover
Most laws apply to commercial websites where more than one-third of the content is sexual material "harmful to minors". A site that's mostly porn is in. A social network with some adult posts usually isn't.
There are exceptions. Kansas sets the bar lower, at 25% of pages viewed in a month. Ohio's law is broader on paper, but exempts "interactive computer services", and that's the gap Pornhub says it fits through. Internet providers, search engines and cloud hosts are usually exempt too.
How you prove your age
The exact list varies by state, but it usually includes:
A few states add their own rules. Florida requires sites to offer at least one anonymous option. Missouri requires a third-party verifier. Tennessee makes you re-verify every 60 minutes, and Ohio every two years.
What happens to your data
Most laws say sites and verifiers can't keep your identifying information once you're through, including Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota and West Virginia. West Virginia, Missouri and Arizona add a $10,000 fine for every time data is kept.
Tennessee goes the other way: anonymised verification records are kept for seven years.
Extras some states added
Who gets punished?
Websites. Not you. None of these 27 laws makes it a crime for an adult to view legal porn, though other laws (on obscenity, deepfakes and child abuse material) still apply. They're enforced in three ways:
| Enforcement | How it works | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Private lawsuits | Parents, or anyone harmed, can sue the site | Kentucky, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Wyoming |
| State attorney general | The AG fines the site, often per day | Texas, Alabama, South Dakota, Ohio, Missouri, Iowa |
| Both | Lawsuits plus AG fines | Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia |
The fines are big enough to change behaviour. A typical law allows up to $10,000 a day, and several add up to $250,000 if a minor gets access. Florida allows up to $50,000 per violation, and Kansas lawsuits start at $50,000. That's why so many sites block whole states rather than risk it.
⚖️ The Supreme Court Case: Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton
For two years, the adult industry's big hope was that the courts would strike these laws down.
In the 1990s and 2000s, the Supreme Court had blocked earlier federal attempts to put online porn behind age checks. Everyone expected a repeat.
It didn't happen.
| Supreme Court Ruling | Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton |
|---|---|
| Case | Free Speech Coalition, Inc. v. Paxton, No. 23-1122 |
| Decided | 27 June 2025 (argued 15 January 2025) |
| Vote | 6–3 |
| Majority | Justice Thomas, joined by Roberts, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett |
| Dissent | Justice Kagan, joined by Sotomayor and Jackson |
| Law at issue | Texas HB 1181 |
The key question was which legal test to use. The industry argued for strict scrutiny, the toughest test, which most laws fail. The appeals court below had used the easiest test, rational basis. The Supreme Court rejected both and picked the middle option, intermediate scrutiny, and Texas's law passed it.
In the official summary of the ruling, HB 1181 "triggers, and survives, review under intermediate scrutiny because it only incidentally burdens the protected speech of adults." In plain English, the Court said adults keep their right to watch legal porn, and that requiring ID is an acceptable burden to keep kids out.
The dissent argued that the law burdens adults' protected speech, so it should have faced strict scrutiny.
What changed after the ruling
The ruling settled the big question. Seven more state laws took effect in the second half of 2025 and two more in 2026, and no state law has been fully blocked by a court since. Challenges now pick at the extras instead:
After Paxton, don't expect the courts to make these laws go away.
🔮 What's Next: Pending Bills and the Move to Your Phone
Bills that failed in 2026
Not every state signed up. This year's misses:
Bills still in play
| State | Bill | Where it stands (Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | SB 603 | Second consideration in the Senate on 29 September 2026 |
| Ohio | HB 84 ("Innocence Act") | A second, stricter Ohio bill. Trackers disagree on whether it has passed the House. |
| New Jersey | S1826 / S4455 / A3228 | Pending |
| Michigan | HB 4938 | Would ban porn and VPNs. In committee since September 2025. |
| New York | S3591, S8102A / A8893 | Device-based approach, in committee |
| Washington | HB 2112 | Age checks plus health warnings. Had a hearing in January 2026. |
The next fight: age checks on devices and app stores
The newest laws skip websites entirely. They make app stores, or even your phone's operating system, confirm your age and pass that signal on to apps. This is the approach Pornhub has been lobbying for.
| State | Law | Starts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | SB 2420 | 1 Jan 2026 | Blocked in December 2025, then enforceable after the Fifth Circuit paused that order on 28 May 2026. The Supreme Court declined to step in in early July. The appeal is still pending. |
| Utah | SB 142 (+ HB 498) | 6 May 2027 | Delayed by a year. Now enforced only through private lawsuits. |
| Alabama | HB 161 | 1 Jan 2027 | AG enforcement, up to $7,500 per violation |
| California | AB 1043 | 1 Jan 2027 | Age signal built into the operating system |
| Louisiana | HB 570 | 1 Jul 2027 | Pushed back a year by HB 977 |
| Illinois | HB 5511 | 1 Jan 2028 | Signed 31 July 2026. Makes platforms use the device's age signal to check whether a user is a child. |
If these work as intended, you'd verify your age once on your phone instead of on every site. Whether that's better for privacy depends entirely on how Apple, Google and the states handle the data.
🌍 It's Not Just the US
The same idea is spreading worldwide, and outside the US it's usually national, not state by state.
| Country | Rule | In force since | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇬🇧 UK | Online Safety Act, "highly effective age assurance" | 25 Jul 2025 | Ofcom can fine up to £18m or 10% of global revenue. Aylo shut out new UK users from 2 Feb 2026, then let users verified through Apple's iOS 26.4 age checks back in from May 2026. |
| 🇫🇷 France | SREN law plus Arcom's technical standard | 2024–2025 | Aylo pulled Pornhub in June 2025, briefly returned after a court ruling, then was blocked again in July 2025. A Paris court rejected Aylo's appeal in May 2026. |
| 🇪🇺 EU | Digital Services Act guidelines and an EU age-check app | Jul 2025 (app prototype) | Pilots ran in Denmark, Greece, Spain, France and Italy. In April 2026 the Commission said the app was ready and urged countries to roll it out by the end of 2026. |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | Online safety industry codes | 9 Mar 2026 (porn sites, app stores, AI chatbots) | Aylo restricted Australian users in March 2026, then said on 7 Oct 2026 it would restore access for Apple-verified users. Australia's under-16 social media ban started on 10 Dec 2025. |
Notice the pattern: Aylo keeps coming back wherever age checks happen on the device, through Apple, rather than on its own site. That's exactly what it's pushing US states to adopt.
🤖 What the Porn Ban Means for AI Porn and NSFW AI Tools
Most porn ban pages skip this. If you use AI tools, it's the part that affects you.
AI-generated content gets no special pass. None of these laws carves out AI. In our reading, an AI porn generator or NSFW chatbot that's mostly adult content looks like any other adult site under the one-third test. Smaller AI tools have been slower to react than the big tube sites, but regulators have noticed them.
What's already happened
What to expect as a user
If you're in one of the 27 states, or the UK, France or Australia, expect more NSFW AI tools to:
A few sensible habits help:
For the tools themselves, see our best NSFW AI chatbots and best NSFW AI image generators.
The VPN spike
Every time a law switches on, VPN demand jumps in that state. Here are the biggest spikes reported:
| Where | When | VPN demand spike | Measured by |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 25–27 Jul 2025 | +1,987% | Top10VPN |
| Florida | 1 Jan 2025 (midnight–4am) | +1,150% | vpnMentor |
| Utah | May 2023 | +847% | Top10VPN |
| France | 4–6 Jun 2025 | +570% | Top10VPN |
| Montana | 29 Dec 2023 (days before its law) | +482% | Top10VPN |
| Arizona | Sep 2025 | +450% (sign-ups) | Proton VPN |
| Missouri | 30 Nov 2025 | +350% | Top10VPN |
| Texas | 15 Mar 2024 | +275% | Top10VPN |
VPN providers measure these in different ways, so compare spikes from the same source only.
We're not going to tell you how to get around these laws. States are also starting to go after VPNs: Utah tried to count VPN users who are physically in Utah (a court blocked that for now), and a pending Michigan bill would ban VPNs for this purpose altogether. We think more states will try.
❓ Porn Ban Statistics FAQ's
Which states have banned porn?
No US state has banned porn outright for adults. As of October 2026, 27 states require porn sites to verify that users are 18 or older: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming. "Porn ban" is just the nickname, because so many sites block these states instead of checking ID.
Is it illegal to watch porn in these states?
Not under these laws. They put the legal duty on websites, not viewers. Adults can still legally watch legal porn. The sites just have to confirm your age first, or face fines.
Which states is Pornhub blocked in?
News reports confirm Pornhub is blocked in 23 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming. West Virginia and Iowa are reportedly blocked too. It's still available in Louisiana, with age checks, and in Ohio.
Why did Pornhub block my state instead of checking ID?
Pornhub's owner, Aylo, says site-by-site ID checks put users' privacy at risk and push people to less careful sites. It wants age checks built into phones and operating systems instead, and it has returned in places where that's available, like the UK and Australia through Apple's age verification.
Are states going after VPNs?
Some are starting to: Utah's 2026 rule covering VPN users was blocked by a federal judge in September 2026, and a pending Michigan bill would ban VPNs for this purpose. This isn't legal advice, and laws are changing fast.
What ID do porn sites accept?
It depends on the state, but usually a digital ID, a government ID checked by a third-party service, or a "commercially reasonable" check using records like mortgage or employment data. Some states also accept age-restricted credit or debit cards. Florida requires sites to offer an anonymous option.
Do porn sites keep a copy of my ID?
Most of these laws ban sites and verifiers from keeping your identifying information after the check, and several add $10,000 fines for each violation. Tennessee is the exception: it requires anonymised verification records to be kept for seven years.
What did the Supreme Court decide about age verification?
In Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton (27 June 2025), the Supreme Court upheld Texas's age verification law 6–3. It ruled that the law only "incidentally" burdens adults' free speech and passes intermediate scrutiny. That decision is why these laws keep spreading.
Which state was the first to require age verification for porn?
Louisiana. Its law took effect on 1 January 2023, and most later state laws are modelled on it.
Which states could be next?
The bills to watch are Pennsylvania SB 603, Ohio HB 84, New Jersey's pending bills, Michigan HB 4938, New York's device-based bills and Washington HB 2112. Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Hawaii and Illinois all rejected or stalled bills in 2026.
Do these laws apply to AI porn generators and NSFW AI chatbots?
The laws don't exempt AI-generated content, so an AI tool that's mostly adult content can fall under the same rules as any other adult site. Some NSFW AI platforms already ask for selfie or ID checks in age verification states, and regulators in the UK and Australia have started enforcing age checks on AI tools directly.
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