• by Ray Schultz , January 5, 2023

Pornography sites are being urged to apply Louisiana’s new law, requiring age verification, universally. 

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) says all pornography sites must follow Louisiana’s new law to prevent children from accessing online pornography.   

“Louisiana’s new law to require age verification in order to access online pornography is a commonsense measure that will better protect children from the harms of pornography. We urge all online pornography sites to comply with the new law,” says Dr. Eleanor Gaetan, vice president and director of public policy for the NCOSE. 

According to Gaetam. the Louisiana law recommends “digital identity technology that the state has already established, among other age verification methods, so the requirement is not at all burdensome. The verification process is easy, accessible, and very private.”

Gaetan adds, “The fact is, most websites already have and use technology that identifies a user’s age and uses that data for marketing purposes, so this does not burden businesses either."

It is not clear how pornography is defined: Does the term mean hard-core content, or does it also include merely suggestive material or content that falls into the category of fine art? Can a site offering the latter be liable if it does not demand age verification?

Gaetan alleges that certain pornography sites "have allowed filmed child sexual abuse, rape, sex trafficking, and other non-consensual explicit material on its websites—material that normalizes criminal activity.”  

She adds, “The negative effects of pornography on children are real and include low self-esteem, hyper-sexualization, and engaging in harmful behaviors. Other studies show that pornography exposure is a tool in grooming and those exposed are more vulnerable to assault and predatory acts.” 

Louisiana’s age verification law builds on resolutions passed by the state legislature five years ago. 

The law, Act 440, requires that sites with at least 33.3% pornographic material deemed "harmful to minors" requiret proof of age such as government-issued ID of Louisiana residents. This has raised privacy concerns, NPR reports. 

"Any commercial entity that knowingly and intentionally publishes or distributes material harmful to minors on the internet from a website that contains a substantial portion of such material shall be held liable if the entity fails to perform reasonable age verification methods to verify the age of individuals attempting to access the material," the bill states.

According to Salon, users can use the LA Wallet app to verify their age.

Gaetan concludes, “We hope more states will follow Louisiana’s lead and implement age verification to better protect children from the harms of pornography.”