Montana Democrat's Anti-Porn Age Verification Law Goes Into Effect

Montana Democrat's Anti-Porn Age Verification Law Goes Into Effect

HELENA, Mont. — Montana’s version of the copycat age verification legislation being promoted by religious conservatives around the country went into effect this week.

Unlike AV measures in other states, which were all sponsored by Republican state legislators, Montana’s SB 544 was introduced by Democratic state Senator Willis Curdy (Missoula).

The bill passed with majorities in both chambers, 47 to 3 in the Senate and 84 to 13 in the House, and went into effect Monday.

Sen. Curdy’s version of the law includes some of the most extreme, controversial anti-porn talking points and myths, including asserting that pornography “is creating a public health crisis and having a corroding influence on minors”; that it “contributes to the hypersexualization of teens and prepubescent children and may lead to low self-esteem, body image disorders, an increase in problematic sexual activity at younger ages, and increased desire among adolescents to engage in risky sexual behavior”; and that it “may also impact brain development and functioning, contribute to emotional and medical illnesses, shape deviant sexual arousal, and lead to difficulty in forming or maintaining positive, intimate relationships, as well as promoting problematic or harmful sexual behaviors and addiction.”

SB 544 requires “pornographic websites” — including websites vaguely defined as containing a "substantial" amount of adult material — to verify a viewer’s age by “reasonable age verification methods.” According to local news station KRTV, these may include a government-issued ID or “any commercially reasonable method that relies on public or private transactional data” to verify age.

Pornhub disabled access to its site in Montana last week, stating, “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.”

Montana now joins Utah, North Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi and Arkansas as states that have implemented copycat laws since a religiously inspired Republican politician introduced the first such measure in Louisiana in 2022.

As XBIZ reported, leading conservative anti-porn crusaders have admitted that the state-by-state age verification laws are merely a stepping stone in an organized effort to ban all adult content online and revive obscenity prosecutions.

Inset Image: Montana state senator Willis Curdy (D-Missoula)

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

British Documentary Spotlights XBIZ Amsterdam With Candid Conversations

British creator and host Josh Pieters traveled to XBIZ Amsterdam to film a documentary about the annual European adult industry conference.

XBIZ 2026 to Debut 'New Talent Go-See' Special Event

XBIZ 2026, North America’s premier adult industry conference, will debut a special event designed to help new talent jump-start their careers: the New Talent Go-See.

Penthouse Announces Digital Archive Launch

Penthouse Magazine has announced that it will launch a comprehensive digital archive in 2026.

Dreamcam Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

Dreamcam has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches by Country for August, September

AEBN has released the list of popular searches from its straight and gay theaters by country in August and September.

AV in Focus: A Guide to Unlocking Compliance With Clarity

The age verification era isn’t coming — it’s here. Laws are already on the books in numerous U.S. states, as well as in the U.K., France and beyond.

Canadian Privacy Commissioner Endorses National AV Bill

Philippe Dufresne, privacy commissioner of Canada, has voiced support for a bill that would impose fines of up to $500,000 on adult sites that do not implement age verification for Canadian viewers.

Ricky Johnson Launches 'Ricky's Resort' Through YourPaysitePartner

Ricky's Room studio honcho Ricky Johnson has launched his latest site, RickysResort.com, through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Industry Attorney Paul Cambria Retires After 50 Years of Practicing Law

After more than a half-century in practice, during which he provided the defense in some of the adult industry's most notable legal cases, attorney Paul Cambria has retired.

2026 XMA Nominations Party Set for Nov. 19 in Hollywood

The 2026 XMA nominations reveal party will take place at Keys on the Sunset Strip on Wednesday, Nov. 19, with red-carpet arrivals starting at 8 p.m.

Show More