Pornhub to block Indiana and Kentucky next month over age verification laws
Pornhub will block Indiana and Kentucky next month, the latest in a growing list of blocked states thanks to age-verification laws.
In recent years, age-verification laws have been popping up across the U.S. They typically require visitors to websites with over one-third of adult content to show proof of age (such as ID) when attempting to view this content. As experts told Mashable last year, age-verification laws won't work — VPNs are an easy work-around, for one, and requiring users to upload their IDs leaves them vulnerable to identity theft.
Still, more and more states are enacting these laws. Pornhub and its parent company Aylo's (formerly MindGeek) response has been to block these states from accessing the website at all.
You May Also Like
AdultFriendFinder — readers’ pick for casual connections
Hinge — popular choice for regular meetups
Pornhub first blocked Utah last year, and has since has blocked Texas, North Carolina, Montana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Virginia due to these laws. Louisiana has also passed an age-verification law, but as of publication Pornhub is still accessible there.
Now, Aylo will block Indiana and Kentucky in July, according to adult trade publication AVN. The laws that spurred these bans are Indiana's SB 17 and Kentucky's HB 278.
Florida could be the next state that faces a Pornhub ban; its age-verification law, HB 3, goes into effect January 2025.
If you happen to be in one of these states, Mashable has instructions on how to unblock Pornhub using a VPN.
Anna Iovine is the associate editor of features at Mashable. Previously, as the sex and relationships reporter, she covered topics ranging from dating apps to pelvic pain. Before Mashable, Anna was a social editor at VICE and freelanced for publications such as Slate and the Columbia Journalism Review. Follow her on Bluesky.
