Louisianans Forced to Enter Government ID to Look at Porn Online

Louisianans Forced to Enter Government ID to Look at Porn Online

BATON ROUGE — People in Louisiana who wish to visit adult websites are now required to enter their government ID, following the implementation of a controversial new state law promoted by a religious activist and Republican legislator, which came into effect Sunday.

Several Louisiana residents reported today on Twitter that their attempts to freely browse Pornhub are now thwarted by a screen demanding they enter their driver license information or an alternate form of state ID.

“Please verify your age to access Pornhub,” a banner requests, explaining that “Louisiana law now requires us to put in place a process for verifying the age of users who connect to our site from Louisiana.”

“The privacy and security of the Pornhub community is our priority,” the message continues, “and we thank you for your cooperation.”

XBIZ has received reports from adult Louisiana residents who have tried to use the state's LA Wallet software to verify their date of birth and have been unsuccessful, describing it as "buggy."

The unusual demand to provide government “papers” to access sexual content online, a first in the United States, is the direct result of Louisiana’s HB 142, which was sponsored by anti-porn activist, faith-based therapist and local politician Laurie Schlegel (R-Matairie).

As XBIZ reported, Schlegel spent the last week of 2022 promoting the new law with Louisiana media, which reported the law requires “age verification for any website that contains 33.3% or more pornographic material.”

Schlegel has not indicated how such calculations will be made, by whom, or even what constitutes “pornographic material.”

Pornography, Schlegel declared to WAFB9 TV’s Chris Rosato, “is destroying our children and they’re getting unlimited access to it on the internet and so if the pornography companies aren’t going to be responsible, I thought we need to go ahead and hold them accountable.”

Legal Expert: Industry Should Make Compliance a Priority

Industry attorney Corey Silverstein, of MyAdultAttorney.com and Adult.law., told XBIZ that he is "not surprised to hear that Pornhub and other adult websites are attempting to adhere to Louisiana’s HB 142. It is the responsible thing to do."

According to Silverstein, since the law was signed by Louisiana Governor Jon Bel Edwards (D) in June 22, he has been "encouraging all adult entertainment businesses to meet with their attorneys to discuss their business models and get an understanding of both whether HB 142 applies to them and if so, what measures needed to be put in place before the law became effective. Make no mistake about it, this law is now in full force and effect and adult entertainment businesses not familiar with the law should treat HB 142 as a priority."

However, Silverstein also noted that in his opinion the Louisiana age verification law “is unconstitutional and at minimum violates the First Amendment, Fourteenth Amendment and the Dormant Commerce Clause. Unfortunately, due to the law having civil remedies vs. criminal penalties, a constitutional challenge will have to wait until someone attempts to sue an adult entertainment provider under the law — this was intentional on the drafters part, as the last time Louisiana attempted to play this dangerous game of speech suppression, HB 153, was ultimately and correctly killed in Federal Court.”

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Pineapple Support Taps Char Borley as Brand Ambassador

Pineapple Support has named Char Borley as its newest brand ambassador.

Michigan Legislators Propose Online Porn Ban

Michigan lawmakers have introduced a bill that would make it illegal to distribute pornography via the internet in the state.

Florida AG Sues Aylo, Segpay Over State AV Law

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed lawsuits against Aylo and Segpay on Monday with the 12th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida for noncompliance with HB3, the state's age verification law.

Colombian Court Sides with Performer Esperanza Goméz Over IG Suspensions

Colombia’s Constitutional Court last week ruled in favor of adult performer Esperanza Gómez in her legal battle against Meta over repeated suspensions of her Instagram account.

Missouri AG Announces Age Verification Rule to Take Effect Nov. 30

Newly appointed Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced Friday that the state's recently approved age verification regulation for adult websites will go into effect on Nov. 30.

Aylo, Woodhull Freedom Foundation to Tackle Online Censorship in Virtual Seminar

Aylo and Woodhull Freedom Foundation will co-host a virtual panel addressing online censorship on Sept. 30.

Severe Sex Films Relaunches Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Severe Sex Films has relaunched its official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Judge Awards Plaintiffs Over $400K in Attorneys Fees in Derek Hay Civil Case

California Superior Court Judge Gail Killefer has awarded former clients of LA Direct Models over $400,000 in attorneys fees and court costs, to be paid by agency founder Derek Hay.

ChickPass Rebrands as 'ChickPass Cinematic Universe'

ChickPass has announced that it has rebranded its network of sites as ChickPass Cinematic Universe.

New Adult Social Media Platform 'Havven' Opens Beta Phase

Havven, a new adult social media platform, has opened its beta phase and will officially launch Oct. 5.

Show More