Sex educators say they're being harmed by age-verification laws

Site Blocking and Age Verification for Twitter, Instagram, Snap and Twitch?: Age Verification Lobby Confirms it Wants Bill S-210 to Cover All Social Media Sites - Michael Geist

Bill S-210 - the Protecting Young Persons from Exposure to Pornography Act - burst onto the public scene late last year as a majority of the House voted for the bill at second reading, sending it to the Public Safety committee for review. The bill, which is the brainchild of Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne, was supported by the Conservatives, Bloc and NDP with a smattering of votes from backbench Liberal MPs (the cabinet voted against, signalling it is not supported by the government). The bill raises significant concerns with the prospect of government-backed censorship, mandated age verification to use search engines or social media, and a framework for court-ordered website blocking (I appeared before the Senate committee that studied by the bill in February 2022, arguing that “by bringing together website blocking, face recognition technologies, and stunning overbreadth that would capture numerous mainstream services, the bill isn’t just a slippery slope, it is an avalanche.”). In response to the public criticism of the bill, Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne has suggested that concerns about it extending to general purpose social media sites is overstated since the intent is to target adult content sites. Yet that is not what the bill provides as it applies to anyone who makes sexually explicit material available on the Internet for commercial purposes:

Ineffective, Unconstitutional, and Dangerous: The Problem with Age Verification Mandates – Action Center

In the wake of Louisiana’s new law mandating the use of age verification (AV) on adult content websites, a flurry of copycat legislation has been introduced by well-meaning but poorly-informed politicians who don’t understand the real-world impacts of the laws they are proposing. 

Age Verification in the US

We continue to block access to Pornhub in more states that have passed age verification laws.

Age verification on porn sites is putting queer adult industry workers at risk

The laws requiring digital age checks — sold as child protection — are tanking the income of adult industry workers, risking their safety and even forcing them out of business.

Who’s Harmed by Age Verification Mandates?

Age-verification laws may sound straightforward to some: protect young people online by making everyone prove their age. But in reality, these mandates force users into one of two flawed

Age-Verification Laws Seek to Erase LGBTQ+ Identity from the Internet

Age-verification laws are weaponized to censor LGBTQ+ and abortion-related content online under the guise of protecting children from porn.

438 Experts Said Age Verification Is Dangerous. Legislators Are Moving Forward With It Anyway. - Above the Law

From the seems-like-someone-should-pay-attention? dept

Pornhub sends letter to lawmakers over 'dangerous' age verification

The tube site says constituents deserve better.

New Idaho Law mandates parental consent and age verification for social media - Local News 8

A new law intends to regulate and limit social media use for Idaho minors, but critics warn the state could be walking into a lawsuit. On April 2nd, Governor Brad Little officially signed House Bill 542, the Stop Addictive Social Media Act, into law. The legislation aims to curb the influence of social media on Idaho's youth by mandating age verification and stripping platforms of features the bill's sponsors deem "addictive."

So, You’ve Hit An Age Gate. What Now?

EFF is against age gating and age verification mandates, and we hope we’ll win in getting existing ones overturned and new ones prevented. But mandates are already in effect, an…

Social media age verification laws in the United States

In the United States, age verification laws for social media are ostensibly designed to limit young people's access to content deemed problematic such as pornography and to reduce the negative impact of social media on the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.

10 (Not So) Hidden Dangers of Age Verification

It’s nearly the end of 2025, and half of the US and the UK now require you to upload your ID or scan your face to watch “sexual content.” A handful of states and Australia now have various

The Age-Gated Internet Is Sweeping the US. Activists Are Fighting Back

Half of the country now requires age verification to watch porn or access “harmful” content. Digital rights advocates are pushing back against legislation they say will make the internet less safe.

Sex Workers Say They’re Being Silenced by the Government on Age Verification Plans

“There is a difference between consultation and actually being listened to.”

KOSA, the KIDS Act, AI, Bad Internet Bills, and a potential giveaway to big tech (UPDATED)

Just say no to bills that age restrict, censor, and surveil the internet!