WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday upheld a Texas law that mandates age verification for access to adult websites, ruling 6–3 in favor of the state measure aimed at restricting minors’ exposure to online pornography.
The decision affirms a 2023 law requiring users to submit personal information to verify their age before accessing websites containing sexually explicit content. The law applies to sites where at least one-third of material is classified as pornographic.
The ruling comes after a legal challenge from the Free Speech Coalition, an adult industry trade group, which argued that the measure infringes on the First Amendment rights of adults and poses serious risks to user privacy. The group claimed that requiring age verification could lead to data breaches, surveillance, and a chilling effect on lawful adult content consumption.
The Court emphasized that the statute targets commercial adult content providers and permits various methods of compliance for verifying age.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton welcomed the ruling, calling it a victory for child safety online.
“This law sends a clear message: companies that profit from explicit content must take reasonable steps to prevent children from accessing it,” Paxton said in a statement following the decision.
The law’s implementation requires adult websites to employ technological means such as government-issued ID scanning or third-party verification systems.
