New Ohio law to require adult websites to verify users' ages
A provision in the state's two-year operating budget, signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in June, will require pornography platforms and any website that hosts content that is 'obscene or harmful to juveniles' to verify their visitors are adults.
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Users in Ohio will have to prove their age by uploading a copy of a government-issued photo ID or other personal identification, such as proof of a mortgage or employment. Purveyors of online pornography would be required to 'immediately' delete such documents after the verification is complete, unless a user maintains an account or subscription.
To ensure Ohio users' ages are verified, adult websites will be responsible for using technology to monitor the location of their visitors.
The Ohio Attorney General will hold the sole authority to enforce the new law, which takes effect in late September, by filing civil lawsuits against companies that do not comply.
The provision in the state budget follows multiple similar legislative efforts, including a bill introduced in 2024 and another earlier this year called 'The Innocence Act.'
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Rep. Steve Demetriou (R-Bainbridge Twp.), who introduced both previous bills, argued at a hearing earlier this year that age-verification measures would protect minors from 'harmful' content.
'In Ohio, businesses that primarily sell or rent adult content are legally required to verify the age of their customers,' Demetriou said. 'The Innocence Act brings this commonsense safeguard into the 21st century.'
The lawmaker cited multiple studies, including a 2010 study in the scientific journal Aggressive Behavior, that found exposure to violent X-rated content led to an increase in self-reported sexually aggressive behavior. He also pointed to studies that linked pornography to heightened feelings of social isolation and sexist attitudes toward women.
The bill drew support from the Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, the Center for Christian Virtue, Catholic Conference of Ohio and Collaborative to End Human Trafficking.
While the age-verification bill introduced this year did not progress to the point of receiving opponent testimony before the state's new law was passed as part of the budget, the 2024 bill did.
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Gary Daniels, a lobbyist with the American Civil Liberties Union, was the only person to speak out against the bill. He said historically such laws have been weaponized against movies, magazines, video games, sex education and more.
'There is something to be said about parental control and not involving government, law enforcement, courts, and incarceration,' Daniels said. 'Software that filters and/or blocks online content is widely available and inexpensive, much of it free. This allows parents to limit or block access for their own children without requiring the same be done for all minors and without burdening adults.'
Currently, 21 states have laws in effect that require age verification to access online pornography, according to the Free Speech Coalition. Four more states – including Ohio, Missouri, Arizona and North Dakota – have passed laws that are set to go into effect in the future.
Some adult websites, including PornHub, have completely blocked access to regions with age-verification laws on the books.
While the Free Speech Coalition filed lawsuits against multiple states with age-verification laws, the United States Supreme Court ruled in June that a Texas age-verification law could stand.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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