by Charlotte Hazard
Pornhub, the adult-content website, has blocked users from the state of Virginia due to its new age verification law that will take effect July 1.
The law, titled SB 1515 and proposed by Republican state Sen. William M. Stanley Jr., will require sites with pornographic content to verify users in Virginia are at least 18 years old before they allow them to view the content on the website.
Pornhub released a statement regarding the ruling, according to ABC8 News.
“The safety of our users is one of our biggest concerns. We believe that the best and most effective solution for protecting children and adults alike is to identify users by their device and allow access to age-restricted materials and websites based on that identification,” Pornhub said in the statement. “Until a real solution is offered, we have made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website in Virginia.”
Virginia GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration stands by the law, according to his spokesperson.
“The governor remains committed to protecting Virginia’s children from dangerous material on the internet,” a spokeswoman for Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement, according to the local outlet.
Other states that have passed similar laws include Utah, Mississippi and Arkansas.
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Charlotte Hazard is a 2022 Liberty University alumni who graduated with a major in journalism and a minor in government.
Photo “Person Using Laptop” by Glenn Carstens-Peters.
