AB 1501 would require businesses to verify that porn consumers are 18 years or older, much like with tobacco and alcohol sales.

Porn is one of the most insidious threats facing women today. The impacts of this 97-billion-dollar industry on the psyches of men and boys, and bodies of women and girls, can not be overstated. Porn fuels sex trafficking, the abuse of minors, prostitution, and sexual exploitation. It promotes misogyny, sexual violence, and dangerous and escalating sexual behaviors that men inflict on women and girls. 

Today, children are accessing porn at astoundingly young ages, with 15% of minors viewing porn at age 10 or younger. Over half of minors have watched violent porn such as rape, choking, bondage, or sadomasochism, content that results in violent attitudes and behaviors among boys, and self-loathing and anxiety among girls. Porn can affect the brain like a drug, becoming addictive and requiring increasingly extreme content to continue to reach a high. 

Preventing minors from accessing pornography is important for child safety, and for women and girls in society as a whole. Yet, it is all too easy for minors to access porn, with over half of them being exposed to porn as soon as they receive their first smartphone. 

Although it is already illegal in federal law to distribute porn to minors (under the age of 16), internet porn sites often skirt around these laws with a simple checkbox on their website, asking viewers to confirm they are at least 18. Unlike with other age-restricted substances like tobacco, alcohol, or firearms, there is no actual identity verification requirement in place to prevent minors from accessing this material. 

This is why WoLF, in collaboration with Our Duty, is proud to endorse California's AB 1501, a landmark bill that would require businesses that sell sexually explicit material to engage in age verification to ensure the consumer is 18 years or older. 

About California AB 1501

California Assembly Bill 1501, “Business regulations: sexually explicit material,” is a groundbreaking bill that would finally hold the porn industry accountable for distributing sexually explicit materials to minors. It does this by requiring any “commercial entity that knowingly and intentionally publishes or distributes sexually explicit material on the internet” to “use an age verification method that prevents minors from accessing sexually explicit material.”

This means that rather than simply checking a button that says “Yes, I am 18+,” porn sites will now have to collect IDs that prove the buyer is 18, just like when you buy tobacco or alcohol online. 

The bill also provides a civil cause of action to the parents of minors who are exposed to sexually explicit materials, so they can sue on their children’s behalf. 

Although the bill is only targeted at protecting minors, if passed, this California law could have a drastic impact on the porn industry’s bottom line. If porn sites are forced to collect government IDs to access sexually explicit material in California, this will impact all porn consumers. By raising the barrier to entry, many people who may have been willing to view porn anonymously may be less interested in doing so when it now requires uploading government identification. 

Porn sites will also now be forced to separate California residents from all other viewers or else collect IDs from all people who attempt to access the site. In practice, this is a significant administrative cost for the websites, and is likely to hinder their ability to reach their audience in ways they previously have. 

Take Action: Support AB 1501!

WoLF supports the complete abolition of the commercial sex industry, and this bill brings us one step closer to that goal. While the bill certainly is not enough on its own, any limits that have the opportunity to weaken this industry’s hold on society, and especially on children, are worth pursuing given the dire nature of the situation. WoLF founder and Board Chair Lierre Keith says, “I want everyone to ask themselves this. If we can't protect the most vulnerable—children—from the worst predators on the planet—the porn industry—what good are we?"

If you are a California resident, take action by writing to your state legislators in support of AB 1501!