Louisiana residents will need to have a government ID in order to access porn online.

Now we are in the first week 2023. This means that different things will be possible for different people. It also means that Louisiana residents will need to verify their age in order to access porn online.

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 33.3 per cent of a website’s contents. As Gizmodo Notes that Pornhub, Youporn, and Redtube already ask visitors to verify their age.

Websites that contain porn must implement “reasonable ages verification methods,” which include asking users for a government-issued identification or digitized copy of it. Pornhub, Youporn, and Redtube all asked users to verify 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. Pornography may contribute to the sexualization of adolescents and prepubescents. This can cause low self-esteem, body image problems, increased risky sexual behavior, and a decrease in sexual activity at younger ages. Pornography can also have an impact on brain development and functioning. It can lead to emotional or medical illnesses, deviant sexual arousal and difficulty in creating or maintaining intimate relationships.

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 allow anyone trace. [their] Online activity