Adult Websites Would Require Age Verification Under Proposed NY Law
Under a proposed state rule intended to protect children from sexually explicit information, New Yorkers who wish to browse pornographic websites may soon have to provide proof that they are 18 years of age or older.
A keyboard for a computer.
-
Yes, it s necessary to protect minors
-
No, it s an invasion of privacy
-
Unsure
Republican State Senator Jake Ashby introduced the bill, which would mandate that any pornographic website operating in New York confirm a user’s age before allowing access.
Tools such as government-issued identification documents, credit card payments, or other widely used commercial systems that verify age using public records would be used for verification.
The law defines sexual content that is detrimental to kids as everything from obscene pictures to in-depth accounts of sex acts.
If approved, websites would have to verify that users are located in New York by examining their IP addresses. If so, the websites have to put age verification procedures in place before granting access.
The state attorney general has the authority to impose fines of up to $50,000 per day on noncompliant websites.
The bill has exclusions, such as the exclusion of search engines, internet service providers, and news organizations from liability for just sending or linking to such content. Additionally, material judged to have significant literary, artistic, political, or scientific value would not be subject to the regulation.
24 states nationwide have enacted comparable legislation. The most recent legislative session in New York did not see the bill reach either the Assembly or the Senate. It is anticipated to be brought back in 2026 during the following session.
How Do You Feel?Do you agree that New York should need age verification in order to visit adult websites? Please respond to our poll above.
