Age checks in the US: state laws after Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton
There is no federal age-check law for adult sites in the US. Many states have their own. In Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, decided on 27 June 2025, the Supreme Court upheld Texas’s age-verification law. Here’s what that means for operators, which states we track, and how to see what visitors from those states meet.
Summary of the official sources · checked 14 October 2026 · Not legal advice. · Sources at the end
Applies fromState by state (Texas HB 1181: 1 Sep 2023)
WhoAdult sites that people in those states can reach
RuleState age-verification laws · SCOTUS 23-1122
Effort to fixOften 1–2 days per provider setup
What do visitors from US age-check states meet on your site? Find out in about a minute.
Free · private · we never download your images or videos
In short
- There is no federal age-check law for adult sites in the US as of 20 October 2026; age-check duties come from state laws (sources below). The TAKE IT DOWN Act is about removal of intimate images, not about age checks.
- Many states have their own laws. We list the ones from our audit on the US page; a state page goes live once it has a primary source.
- On 27 June 2025 the Supreme Court upheld Texas HB 1181 in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, so challenges to similar state laws now face that precedent.
- The state laws we track ask adult sites to verify age before showing explicit content. Details differ; each state page links its law.
Does this apply to your site?
Use these questions to see how the US picture touches you.
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Visitors from Texas, or another state with an age-verification law, can open your adult contentSeveral US states have their own age-verification laws for adult sites; each state page names its law and links it.
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Your gate is a self-declarationState laws that require “age verification” usually expect more than a tick box or date of birth.
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Adult content is only a small part of your siteState laws differ on which sites they cover. Check the law linked on the state page.
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You already verify age for the UK or the EUThe same provider may cover several US states. Confirm which states they support and how the result reaches your server.
What regulators expect
- List the states your visitors come from. Start with the ones we list on the US page. Each state page links the primary source once we have it.
- Pick a verification method those states accept. Ask providers which states they cover and how they handle Texas HB 1181-style requirements.
- Put the check before the content. A front gate with nothing explicit before the check travels well across states.
- Protect media and indexes. Files and sitemaps that open without the check undermine the gate in every state.
State laws differ. We don’t invent thresholds or methods here; use the state pages and the primary sources linked there.
What a good US age gate looks like
Adults onlyVerify your age to continue
Front gate for adult content
Short notice, one path to verification, no explicit previews.
Verify ageID · face · or other method
Verification step
Handled by a provider that covers your priority states.
Age check · TX and similar states
State-aware delivery
Show the check to visitors from the states that require it.
How No451 checks your site
We can scan from a US vantage where a proxy is available and show the same visitor-side picture: what kind of gate appears, what’s visible before it, and whether media files open without it. Header requests only.
Should fixYour age check only asks for a date of birth Example resultA first-time visitor sees a date-of-birth form before the content. Anyone can type any date. We found no age-check provider on the page.
The fix: switch to a method that actually checks age, and make the server, not the browser, decide who gets in.
Your age checkWhat kind of check a first-time visitor meets
Before the checkWhat’s visible behind the gate
Media filesWhether files open without passing
Public indexesSitemaps and media lists
Common mistakes
- Assuming no federal law means no duty. State laws still apply to visitors from those states.
- One self-declaration gate for every country. Ofcom’s guidance and the US state laws that require verification describe more than that.
- Ignoring media URLs. They open around any gate you put on the page.
- Waiting for more court cases. After Paxton, Texas-style laws stand unless something new changes that.
Enforcement
Enforcement is done by each state under its own law. The Supreme Court’s decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton means Texas’s age-verification law stands; similar state laws now have that precedent behind them.
Questions operators ask
Is there a US federal age-check law for adult sites?
No. Age-check duties come from the states. The TAKE IT DOWN Act is about removal of non-consensual intimate images, not about age checks.
What did Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton decide?
On 27 June 2025 the Supreme Court upheld Texas HB 1181, the state’s age-verification law for sites with adult content.
Which states does No451 cover?
We list the states from our audit on the US page. A state page is published once it has a primary source. Today several of them do.
Can one provider cover the UK, the EU and US states?
Often yes, but ask them which states they support and how the result reaches your server. Double-anonymity rules (Italy) and closed-user-group rules (Germany) have their own requirements.
Sources
Not legal advice. This page summarises and links to primary sources; it does not tell you what the law requires of your specific site. Related: United States overview · TAKE IT DOWN Act · Texas age-verification law
See what US visitors meet on your site. Then plan state by state.
One scan shows your age check, what’s visible before it and which files open without it, with evidence and fixes.
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