Indiana Sues Porn Sites Over Failed Age Checks
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s age-check law for porn sites is being put to the test.
Attorney General Todd Rokita has filed a lawsuit against Pornhub and about 50 other adult websites, saying they failed to properly block minors from explicit content, even though state law requires age verification.
The lawsuit was filed December third in Marion County and targets several well-known sites, many tied to the Aylo group, which operates Pornhub, RedTube, and Brazzers.
According to the lawsuit, kids are being exposed to online pornography at younger ages, with the average first exposure around age eleven. By the time people turn eighteen, the state says most have already seen porn online.
Indiana’s law, which took effect in March, requires adult websites to verify a user’s age before allowing access. The attorney general claims these sites didn’t do enough to follow that rule and made it easy for minors to get around restrictions.
The lawsuit also claims the companies misled parents by saying access was blocked in Indiana, while still allowing users to get in through tools like VPNs, which can hide a person’s location online.
State leaders also accuse the companies of deceptive practices, saying they overstated their efforts to prevent child sexual abuse material from appearing on their platforms.
The lawsuit argues that early exposure to pornography can harm mental health and increase the risk of sexual violence later in life.
Indiana is asking a judge to order the companies to change how they operate, impose civil penalties, and cover the cost of the state’s investigation.
