Arizona enacts age verification law for adult websites

By lauraharris // 2025-05-20

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Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a bill requiring age verification for adult content websites, effective 90 days after the legislative session ends. Platforms must use digital IDs, third-party services or "commercially reasonable" methods to confirm users are 18+.
Non-compliant sites face lawsuits from parents, with fines up to $250,000 per minor access violation, $10,000 daily for non-verification and $10,000 for retaining user data.
User data cannot be stored post-verification or shared with government entities. Exemptions apply to news orgs, ISPs and search engines.
Arizona joins Texas and Louisiana with similar laws. Texas's SB 2164/HB 3585 mandates ID scans or third-party checks for sites with more than one-third adult content, banning data retention.
Supporters argue these laws protect children from explicit content, with Texas Rep. Nate Schatzline calling it a "no-brainer" to curb industry exploitation of minors.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has signed a controversial bill imposing strict age verification requirements for online adult content into law. House Bill 2112, set to take effect 90 days after the current legislative session ends, mandates that websites hosting materials "harmful to minors" – defined as more than one-third sexual in nature – must implement digital identification checks (e.g., government-issued ID) and commercial age verification systems (using transactional or identity data) to confirm users are 18 or older. Under the new law, platforms must verify users' ages through government-issued digital IDs, third-party verification services or other "commercially reasonable" methods. Acceptable proof includes scanned driver's licenses, passport images or data-matching tools that cross-reference public or private records. HB 2112, sponsored by Republican State Rep. Nick Kupper, empowers parents and guardians to sue non-compliant platforms, with penalties reaching $250,000 per instance if a minor accesses restricted content, $10,000 per day for failure to verify age and $10,000 per instance of retaining user data. The law also confirms that there are strict privacy protections to ensure no retention of user data post-verification, no sharing of identifying information with government entities and exemptions for news organizations, ISPs, search engines and cloud providers (unless they produce content). "Arizona families have had enough," Kupper said. "Hardcore pornography has been just one click away from kids for too long and the companies behind it have looked the other way while cashing in." The bill, now House Engrossed, adds a new chapter to Title 18 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, requiring commercial websites hosting adult content to verify users' ages before granting access.

U.S. states have been passing age verification laws for adult content in the past few years

The law mirrors similar measures in states like Louisiana and Texas, where age verification laws have already taken effect. (Related: U.S. states are passing internet age verification laws as a cover to compel people into using digital IDs.) In 2023, Texas passed Senate Bill 2164 and House Bill 3585, filed by Sen. Bryan Hughes and Rep. Terri Leo-Wilson, to amend the state's Business and Commerce Code by mandating "reasonable" age verification methods for websites with significant sexual material. Under the bills, platforms where more than one-third of content is adult-oriented must verify users' ages through digital identification, such as a government-issued ID scan. Alternatively, sites may use third-party services or commercially reasonable data verification methods. Once age is confirmed, platforms and third-party providers are prohibited from retaining users' personal information. Exemptions apply to "bona fide" news organizations, ensuring media outlets remain unaffected. "The porn industry has preyed on the most vulnerable, our children," State Rep. Nate Schatzline said at the time. "Requiring age verification for explicit content should be a no-brainer. Texas has no place for people who intend to harm kids." Louisiana implemented similar rules in 2024, mandating age verification through government-issued IDs or public/private transnational data. Residents attempting to access websites with at least one-third adult content must verify their identity using LA Wallet – a state-developed app that digitizes driver's licenses. Follow PrivacyWatch.news for more similar stories. Watch the video below about why internet age verification laws are another nail in the coffin of privacy.

This video is from the unmasked channel on Brighteon.com.

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U.S. states have been passing age verification laws for adult content in the past few years

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