Age verification laws designed to block children from online porn sites are sweeping the US, Io Dodds writes. But do they actually protect children, or is there another agenda at work?

Summary

Several U.S. states have enacted laws requiring pornography sites, such as PornHub, to implement age verification to prevent minors’ access, prompting the site’s parent company, Aylo, to block access in affected states.

Proponents argue these laws protect children, while critics highlight privacy risks, inefficiencies, and potential censorship.

These measures reflect growing social conservatism, with some advocates aiming to restrict adult content broadly.

While privacy-focused age verification methods exist, regulatory clarity is lacking.

Critics warn these laws may suppress responsible platforms, favoring unregulated alternatives, and escalate broader culture wars around sexuality and LGBTQ+ rights.

  • HeroHelck@lemm.ee
    1741·
    2 days ago

    It’s a classic tactic, use a somewhat legitimate concern (Minors having access to pornography). And blow it far out of proportion, and use it as an excuse to crackdown on what you’re really after. You will see people defending these bans because the “reasoning” they’re being presented SEEMS rational, but unwittingly they’re supporting a mass crackdown on their own rights.

    • mox@lemmy.sdf.org
      95·
      2 days ago

      See also: The constant push by governments to take away our right to private (encrypted) communications.

      • gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de
        2·
        20 hours ago

        ItS tO prOteCT the CHILDRen’s comMUNIcaTIoN.

        yeah no for sure and that’s why we should all install spyware onto our phones. there’s no “switch in the settings” to turn it off. (for a recent example, see the EU commission’s newest proposals.)

    • driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br
      416·
      2 days ago

      somewhat legitimate concern (Minors having access to pornography).

      Counterpoint: accessing pornography is part of growing up.

      • u/lukmly013 💾 (lemmy.sdf.org)@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
        351·
        2 days ago

        There’s A LOT of unhealthy porn, especially for kids. Especially for kids with no sex education. It’s also easier for them to get addicted.

        You could also say alcohol is part of growing up, because for many it is.

      • HeroHelck@lemm.ee
        9·
        2 days ago

        So, to an extent sure, I don’t think it’s some horrible thing for simply moralistic reasons, everyone has to discover their sexuality one way or another. However, I do think maybe having an entire digital library of smut dumped in your lap the moment you have access to a smartphone and some private time is probably not good for your sexual development. Ideally we’d just have parents/guardians use some common sense and take advantage of parental controls to limit access. But, we both know that many are neglectful or simply busy with trying to make ends meet to constantly monitor these things. Is the right answer government intervention? I’m personally more than a little skeptical, but I can see why some people see it as a valid concern.

        • frustrated_phagocytosis@fedia.io
          5·
          1 day ago

          But the old ways of stumbling across smut are gone now. No finding someone’s porno mag stash, or accessing uncensored porn on the illegal cable box, or reading the smut novels at the grocery store checkout, or the porn VHS section behind the bead curtain at Family Video…

        • Eatspancakes84@lemmy.world
          1·
          1 day ago

          I am just wondering in which age you grew up. Most millennial (like me) had access to a digital library of smut while growing up, and I certainly made use of it.