Louisiana residents will require a government identification to access pornonline.

We are now in the first week for 2023. That means many things to different people. If they wish to access porn online, this means that Louisiana residents must verify their ages.

A new state law (PDF, courtesy MotherboardOn January 1, the law () was in effect. It requires websites that contain “a substantial portion” or “material harmful to minors to ask their users to prove they are 18 years old. The new law defines “substantial portion” as more than 33.35% of a website’s content. As Gizmodo Redtube, Pornhub and Youporn already require visitors to confirm their age.

Websites hosting porn content must use “reasonable age verification” methods. This includes asking users to show a government-issued ID, or a digitalized version of it. Pornhub, Youporn, and Redtube all asked users to prove their age via their LA Wallet App, the state’s digital wallet application for driving licenses. Pornhub’s app can be used to verify an individual’s age. A Twitter video shows this.

The law’s authors stated that “Due to advances and technology, the availability of the internet worldwide, and limited age verification requirements,” minors are more likely to be exposed to pornography at an earlier age. The increased sexualization of teenagers and prepubescent children by pornography can lead to low self-esteem and body image disorders. It may also cause a rise in inappropriate sexual activity and a desire for risky behavior among adolescents. Pornography may also have an impact on brain development and functioning.

Speak to TechCrunch, Olivia SnowSex worker and UCLA Center for Critical Internet Inquiry research fellow, Dr. Judith referred to the requirement for verification in order to access porn as “surveillance”. She also said that it can harm LGBTQ populations in extreme cases: “As homophobia and transphobia — especially homophobia in the context of porn — is rising, I could totally see the state zeroing in on people consuming gay porn, or lesbian porn, and either surveilling them further or criminalizing that.” Critics also raise privacy and security concerns over the requirement to show IDs in order to access porn online, even though Pornhub promises that “proof of age” will not permit anyone trace. [their] Online activity