Age checks for pornographic websites introduced in Louisiana

A new law has been introduced in Louisiana requiring pornographic websites to check that users in the state are over 18 years old.

Laurie Schlegel, the Republican state legislator who introduced the bill, stated that the motive behind the bill was the protection of children.

Ms Schlegel, who says she is a "certified sex addiction therapist", including "addiction" to pornography, stated that she was inspired by Billie Elish, a musician who recently spoke about the impact viewing porn had on her as a child.

Whilst the law does not make it illegal to allow children to access pornographic websites, it does enable people to sue sites that do not have age checks in place.

The legislation sets out the requirement for users to use an app, called LA Wallet, to prove they are over 18 by providing a driving licence or official state identity card.

The on-screen text states: “Louisiana law now requires us to put in place a process for verifying the age of users who connect to our site from Louisiana.” The site also states that it will not retain any data collected.

The UK’s Online Safety Bill, currently progressing through Parliament, will similarly order pornographic websites to prevent children from accessing explicit content.

Some critics have suggested that the legislation will increase the risk of private and sensitive being retained, but providers of age check systems disagree there is a privacy risk.

Ben Keirle, from UK-based age verification platform 1account, stated that any information used to prove age is deleted from systems after the user simply provides a “yes/no response to the request to verify a use prior to admitting access”.