Pornhub Shuts Down In Texas After Being Sued For Failing To Add Age Verification Checks

In a move against Texas’ online age verification law, adult content platform Pornhub has decided to suspend its services in the state.

What Happened: Pornhub has made its website inaccessible to users in Texas, reported The Verge.

This decision is a response to the state’s age verification law, which was enacted last year. The law requires users to either provide a government ID or use a third-party verification service to access adult content online.

The law also requires adult websites to display health warnings, suggesting that pornography can negatively impact “human brain development,” among other unverified claims. Texas had previously sued Pornhub’s parent company, Aylo, for alleged non-compliance with the new law.

Pornhub has a history of protesting against similar age verification laws, having previously blocked access to its site in Mississippi, Virginia, Arkansas, Utah, North Carolina, and Montana.

Alex Kekesi, Aylo's brand and community vice president, criticized the Texas law, calling it “ineffective, haphazard, and dangerous.” He argued that the law would not protect children and would restrict content creators’ ability to post and distribute legal adult content.

Why It Matters: This move by Pornhub comes in the wake of legal troubles faced by its parent company, Aylo. In December 2023, Aylo was arraigned on charges related to unlawful monetary transactions involving sex trafficking proceeds.

The company agreed to a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and was fined $1.84 million.

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