Alabama lawmaker proposes bill to require age verification for porn sites

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Monitoring what kids do online is something lawmakers want to make easier for parents. That’s why they’ve proposed a bill for the upcoming legislative session that would block pornographic sites from anyone under 18 years old.

Rep. Ben Robbins, R-Talladega County, plans to sponsor a bill that will require someone to verify their age using a photo ID in order to access sites that offer pornographic material.

“The younger you are when you view pornographic material, it tends to make you have unhealthy views of a sexual relationship and what that actually looks like,” said Robbins.

His bill will require companies to register with the state as adult content distributors. It will also create additional state taxes for items sold on pornographic websites, and tax memberships Alabamians purchase through a site. The money will be allocated for mental health services in the state. Lastly, the bill will require distributors to have written consent from people who are posted on the site.

Louisiana, Texas, and Utah have similar laws. Each state faces ongoing lawsuits from the Free Speech Coalition because of them.

“It punishes legal and compliance sites and encourages the growth of illegal sites,” said Mike Stabile with the Coalition.

Stabile says requiring a photo ID to enter a website violates the constitutional First Amendment right to freedom of speech and of expression.

“The adult industry is often the canary in the coal mine of free speech,” said Stabile.

“It’s in no way restricting speech or expression,” said Robbins. “All we’re doing is modernizing what we’re already doing in the real world for the virtual world.”

Opponents of the bill say there are other ways to keep kids from accessing pornographic material online.

“Filters that come with your phone. There are free filters that come with your laptop, they are very easy to turn on. And they’re much more effective because you can’t get around them with a VPN,” said Stabile.

Robbins is optimistic his bill will become a law. If it does, the Free Speech Coalition is prepared to take the state to court.

This bill was introduced late during the last legislative session, which did not give the bill enough time to make it out of the Alabama House of Representatives.

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