Want to access online porn in Louisiana? Be ready to hand over your LA Wallet

A new Louisiana law prevents residents from accessing pornographic websites such as PornHub or YouPorn without verifying their age with their LA Wallet.

Act 440, which took effect on Jan. 1, built a path to civil action for parents whose children access porn sites that do not use the verification process.

The text of the legislation says porn is creating a "public health crisis."

"Pornography contributes to the hypersexualization of teens and prepubescent children and may lead to low self-esteem, body image disorders, and increases in problematic sexual activity at younger ages, and increased desire among adolescents to engage in risky sexual behavior," the law states.

However, it only applies to sites where one-third of the content is considered pornographic, meaning sites like OnlyFans are exempt from the law.

Republican state legislator Laurie Schlegel, who introduced the bill in February 2022, defended the law on Twitter. "This law had bipartisan support and passed almost unanimously in both the House & Senate with close to 50 co-authors, including Democrats and Republicans. It was not a Republican win but a win for children in Louisiana. This bill is about protecting children not limiting adults."

The new law has raised concerns about the user's privacy, since LA Wallet, the state's digital driver's license app is the only means of age verification.

There are also concerns over the ease of getting around the roadblock when something as simple as turning Wi-Fi off on your mobile device will remove the need to verify age.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: New law requires age verification to access porn sites in Louisiana