Age-verification law, on the record
Who must check age, where, and how.
The observatory
One lens per law family. Shading shows whether a law is in force, enacted but not in force, or none is on record, in each state.
Who is required to verify age before showing adult content?
What may minors do on social platforms, and with whose consent?
Where is verification pushed to the app store or the device?
What design duties do services owe users they know are minors?
National and supranational law is tracked off the map, in the cards below.
AgeGating records what the law is. A statute blocked by a court is shown as enjoined; a repealed one as repealed. Nothing on this page grades whether a law is good policy.
Findings
Views derived from the record above, not independent judgments.
Adult content
27 states with a law in force, covering 168,497,780 residents.
Social media
7 states with a law in force, covering 77,606,702 residents.
App stores and devices
1 state with a law in force, covering 29,640,343 residents.
Design codes
10 states with a law in force, covering 57,982,603 residents.
Effective-year timeline
| Year | Instruments took effect |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 1 |
| 2001 | 1 |
| 2003 | 1 |
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2023 | 8 |
| 2024 | 17 |
| 2025 | 33 |
| 2026 | 11 |
Status box score
| Status | Instruments |
|---|---|
| Enacted, not yet in force | 18 |
| Enjoined | 11 |
| In force | 83 |
| Proposed | 22 |
| Repealed | 2 |
| Struck down | 1 |
| Superseded | 1 |