Utah plans to start enforcing its age verification laws for adult websites on Monday, seeking to crack down on companies that allow minors to view pornography online. State officials say a recent court ruling blocking part of that statute still allows the state to take action against operators that fail to adequately verify user ages, sending a warning shot to major adult entertainment platforms.
“Porn is one of the most damaging content that we see out there in general and I think people recognize that it screws them up mentally,” Margaret Busse, executive director of the Utah Department of Commerce, said. “These are just not good sites, and frankly, the purveyors of them — I don’t know how they sleep at night.”
State lawmakers approved SB73 earlier this year, expanding on an earlier mandate requiring adult websites to confirm user ages to prevent minors from accessing explicit material. The updated measure empowers the Division of Consumer Protection, housed within the Department of Commerce, to actively pursue companies violating the directive. It also establishes a new tax on adult websites to help fund enforcement alongside a dedicated fund to promote youth mental health.
Enforcement Mechanisms and State Infrastructure
The legislation aims to hold operators accountable if they permit users to bypass verification barriers by using virtual private networks or other masking technology. Lawmakers designed the measure to assist parents facing what they describe as a nearly impossible burden of keeping children away from internet pornography.
“I’m a parent. I recognize the burden of parenting,” Sen. Calvin Musselman, R-West Haven, said. “They need all the help they can get and it’s not unreasonable to ask those that are providing that material to provide some level of scrutiny as to who’s accessing it. They say they only want to provide access for adults. Then, fine, let’s just simply age verify then.”
State officials confirm that the statute does not require companies to verify users’ identities, only their ages. Platforms are legally mandated to delete any information collected for age-checking immediately, and the state collects none of that data. While litigation paused the virtual private networks provision last month following a lawsuit from Aylo—the owner of Pornhub, RedTube and several other adult websites—Busse noted that the state can proceed with enforcing the remainder of the law.
The Department of Commerce reports it has implemented specialized computing and auditing infrastructure developed by enterprise technology partners. While declining to detail proprietary methods, officials confirmed the use of advanced technology to assess compliance. The state can issue fines of up to $2,500 per violation, which could accumulate rapidly for high-traffic platforms.
Industry Response and Ongoing Litigation
Aylo previously rendered its websites inaccessible in Utah following the state’s initial attempt to mandate age verification. In a recent statement, the company noted it has complied with the original framework since it took effect in 2023. “We are glad to see the state of Utah will finally enforce its law after 3.5 years, but this changes nothing about our operations,” Aylo stated, adding that it has publicly supported age verification for years while advocating for device-based solutions that preserve privacy.
State regulators maintain their primary goal is compliance rather than revenue generation. “We just want them to stop doing it,” Busse said regarding unverified access, emphasizing that the division is not looking to issue a high volume of penalties.
Investigators will begin probing platform adherence as the enforcement window opens, while legal challenges regarding specific technical provisions continue to wind through the courts.
