Pornhub blocks Utah users from accessing site in response to state's new age verification law

David DeMille, St. George Spectrum & Daily News
·2 min read
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ST. GEORGE, Utah − Pornhub, one of the world's most-visited adult websites, is blocking access to users in Utah, citing concerns over a new age verification law set to take effect on Wednesday.

The website joins others controlled by its parent company, MindGeek, in an ongoing response to efforts in conservative states to block pornography from people younger than 18. Attempts to access the site from Utah-based IP addresses now redirects viewers to a message from the company expressing opposition to the state's new law.

"While safety and compliance are at the forefront of our mission, giving your ID card every time you want to visit an adult platform is not the most effective solution for protecting our users, and in fact, will put children and your privacy at risk," according to the message.

Cherie DeVille, an adult film star, reads the full message aloud in a video posted above the text on the website.

The message suggests that website owners have no good way to verify ages without storing important personal information and violating their own privacy rules.

"As we've seen in other states, this just drives traffic to sites with far fewer safety measures in place," the message says.

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Utah's push to regulate internet use

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, signed the new law in March, marking part of a larger effort to combat internet use that state lawmakers have argued can be dangerous for young people.

Gov. Spencer Cox signs two social media regulation bills during a ceremony at the Capitol building in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 23, 2023. Cox signed a pair of measures that aim to limit when and where children can use social media and stop companies from luring kids to the sites. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)
Gov. Spencer Cox signs two social media regulation bills during a ceremony at the Capitol building in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 23, 2023. Cox signed a pair of measures that aim to limit when and where children can use social media and stop companies from luring kids to the sites. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)

Cox also signed a similar bill, the Social Media Regulation Act, that would require social media companies to verify the age of users before they can sign up or maintain their accounts. It also requires a curfew for under-18 users between 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.

Cox and other state politicians said they anticipate needing to fight for such measures in court but argued the danger to young people is great enough to justify moving forward.

"I’m not gonna back down from a potential legal challenge when these companies are killing our kids," Cox said before signing the social media-focused bill.

Social media legal efforts elsewhere

Other states have passed similar measures aimed at pornography and social media. A Louisiana law requiring age verification for porn sites went into effect in January and Arkansas passed its own law regarding social websites.

Some U.S. Senators are backing legislation that would ban social media use for children younger than 13.

This article originally appeared on St. George Spectrum & Daily News: Pornhub bans Utah users because of age verification law