Pornhub Just Blocked Everyone In Utah Over A New ID Law & These States Might Be Next

Pornhub has blocked all users in Utah from accessing adult content on its site to protest a new age verification law, in a move that's sent people scrambling to figure out VPNs while raising concerns that other states might be next.

The new state law in Utah requires porn sites to verify that users are 18 or older before giving them access to adult content. It came into effect on Wednesday and lawmakers have said it’s meant to protect children from explicit content, but Pornhub argues that the rules are too arbitrary and restrictive.

Anyone in Utah who visits Pornhub or its sister sites, which are owned by Canadian-based MindGeek, will find themselves facing a block message and a video instead, as Pornhub tries to make its opposition known.

The video shows adult performer Cherie DeVille blasting the Utah law and explaining Pornhub’s stance against it.

DeVille basically argues that Pornhub supports protecting children, but the Utah law goes too far and “will put children and your privacy at risk” by demanding ID every time you visit the site.

“Giving your ID card every time you want to visit an adult platform is not the most effective solution for protecting our users,” DeVille says in the video.

She adds that the law doesn’t have a good way to enforce this ID verification rule, so platforms can choose “whether or not to comply.”

"As we've seen in other states, this just drives traffic to sites with far fewer safety measures in place," she says, adding that any rules should apply to all platforms, not just Pornhub.

Several similar laws have been proposed or passed in other states across the country, including Louisiana and Arkansas.

And it doesn’t stop at porn. Many of those states have also specifically demanded that social media platforms like TikTok enforce tighter age verification rules.

California, Utah, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Virginia have all passed laws along these lines in recent years, the New York Times reports. More than a dozen other states have introduced similar bills that have yet to be passed into law.

Pornhub started asking for age verification from Louisiana users earlier this year when its law came into effect. The site did not block users at the time.

"They are complying with Louisiana's law, which is essentially the same," Utah State Senator Todd Weiler, the Republican sponsor of the new law, told the Salt Lake Tribune. "I expect they will eventually comply with Utah's as well."

It's unclear how long the Utah block will last, but expect the market for Mormon porn to dry up in the meantime. Pornhub reports that "Mormon" was the top-searched term from that state in 2022.