Arizona joined 21 other states last week to require an ID for Arizonans in order to view pornographic sites on the internet. HB 2112, sponsored by Representative Nick Kupper (R-Surprise) and signed into law by Governor Katie Hobbs, requires Arizonans who access the online smut sites to prove they are at least 18 by providing a government-issued ID or using an age-verification system that relies on “transactional data.” The bill passed along party lines, with only one Democrat in the State Senate and two Democrats in the State House voting yes.
“Arizona families have had enough,” said Kupper in a press release from the Arizona House of Representatives. “Hardcore pornography has been just one click away from kids for too long, and the companies behind it have looked the other way while cashing in. This law forces them to take responsibility and keeps minors off their platforms.”
✅Arizona Enacts Law Requiring Age Checks to Keep Minors Off Porn Sites
“Arizona families have had enough. Hardcore pornography has been just one click away from kids for too long, and the companies behind it have looked the other way while cashing in. This law forces them to… pic.twitter.com/57K5hd3xyf
— Arizona House Republicans (@AZHouseGOP) May 13, 2025
In a post on X, Kupper said his bill was important due to the types of pornography descriptions allowed on the big porn site Pornhub. He quoted The New York Times, “In one memo, Pornhub managers proposed words to be banned from video descriptions… while recommending that the site continue to allow ‘brutal,’ ‘childhood,’ ‘force,’ ‘snuffs,’ ‘unwilling,’ ‘minor’ and ‘wasted.’”
One reason my bill is so important.
“In one memo, Pornhub managers proposed words to be banned from video descriptions… while recommending that the site continue to allow ‘brutal,’ ‘childhood,’ ‘force,’ ‘snuffs,’ ‘unwilling,’ ‘minor’ and ‘wasted.’”https://t.co/PHCNbO7wPN
— Nick Kupper (@realnickkupper) May 15, 2025
In another post, Kupper said, “As a father of four, I am beyond proud to have sponsored this law.”
However, some minors could get around the law by using virtual private networks (VPNs) to access sites, masking what state (or country) their IP address is coming from. Additionally, some sites don’t diligently block IPs from states that have passed the law. However, the law provides penalties for sites that don’t comply; fines of up to $10,000 per day or $250,000 total.
Common Sense Media found that 73 percent of teenagers admit to using pornography, and 15 percent said they were exposed to it at age 10 or younger. The news agency also found that one-third of teens report using only social media to access pornography. Minors can also access pornography on social media sites which are generally not subject to the laws. HB 2112 only applies to sites that contain over one-third sexual material harmful to minors.
However, state legislatures around the country are passing laws requiring parental consent for minors to access social media.
According to an article in Politico in 2023, “In just over a year, age-verification laws have become perhaps the most bipartisan policy in the country, and they are creating havoc in a porn industry that many had considered all but impossible to actually regulate.”
In Louisiana, where the first law was implemented in 2022, Pornhub reported an 80 percent drop in traffic, due to users’ reluctance to share personal information. Instead of complying with the requirement, Pornhub chose to block all IP addresses from states that implemented the law.
Adolescents exposed to porn are at higher risk of risky sexual behavior, a study published in the Journal of Public Health Research at the National Library of Medicine found. Children ages 9-13 who are exposed to pornography have lower life satisfaction, negative body image, and unhealthy sexual expectations, per a 2021 study.
Minors that become addicted to pornography may face problems as adults. Pornography use increases marital infidelity rates by over 300 percent according to one study, and 56 percent of divorce cases involved one partner’s obsessive interest in pornographic websites according to a survey of attorneys. The National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families found that 47 percent of U.S. families reported pornography as a problem in their homes.
In response to an article posted on X by AZCentral titled “Do we want Arizona kids to learn about human sexuality from pornographers or teachers?” Kupper responded, “Because those are the only two options right?!? What an asinine opinion which completely ignores the role of the parents.”
The Supreme Court recently allowed Texas’s version of the law to take effect while litigation is pending. Since the court didn’t stay the law, it is a sign the court is likely to uphold it.
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Rachel Alexander is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Rachel on Twitter / X. Email tips to [email protected].
