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Wyoming joins 20 other states that have passed age verification laws restricting minors’ access to harmful online content, but Wyoming’s law goes farther than the others by requiring all websites that host any graphic or obscene material to verify that their users are at least 18 years old.
Gov. Mark Gordon, R, signed House Bill 43 into law on Thursday to make Wyoming the latest state to implement an age verification requirement aimed at restricting access to harmful online content for any child under the age of 18.
Unlike similar laws in other states that primarily target adult entertainment platforms, HB 43 has a much broader scope. The law applies to any website that hosts “material harmful to minors,” expanding the range of online content subject to age verification requirements.
Under this definition, “material harmful to minors” includes “any picture, image, graphic image file, film, videotape, or other visual depiction that is obscene or is child pornography.” This classification extends to material that is already illegal to distribute under existing laws.
To enforce compliance, HB 43 allows parents and guardians to take legal action, seeking damages, court costs, fees, and a penalty of $5,000 per violation. This private enforcement mechanism mirrors Utah’s “bounty” age verification law, which relies on civil lawsuits filed in state courts to enforce compliance.
State Rep. Martha Lawley, R, who sponsored the bill, said HB 43 is based on a 2023 ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld Texas’s age verification law, explaining,
“I’ve long been concerned about the safety of children online (due to) the growth — explosion, really — of devices that connect to the internet and to a world unknown. The pornography industry employs sophisticated tactics to target children, such as pop-up ads, misleading links and enticing visuals.”
Not everyone rejoiced over the newly signed law. The Free Speech Coalition, which opposes restrictions on pornographic content, argued against it in a blog post, saying,
“While it appears that Wyoming has created a higher standard than other states for filing suit (exposure to obscene content as opposed to merely sexually-explicit content), Free Speech Coalition recommends consulting with your legal advisors to determine how to respond.”
Wyoming’s ACLU also released a statement after state lawmakers passed the bill.
“The ACLU of Wyoming opposes House Bill 43. While intended to protect minors, House Bill 43 undermines the privacy and First Amendment rights of Wyomingites. The bill could have a chilling effect on free expression online.”
The law is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.
Wyoming is now the 21st state to mandate that pornography companies verify the ages of online users, joining Louisiana, Arkansas, Virginia, Utah, Montana, Texas, North Carolina, Indiana, Idaho, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Georgia, Alabama, Kansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Tennessee. These laws aim to curb minors’ access to adult content, reinforcing parental control in the digital age.
The trend is gaining momentum, with over a dozen additional states aiming to pass similar legislation by the end of the year. Lawmakers across the political spectrum have embraced age verification measures. These laws empower parents by making it more challenging for minors to encounter inappropriate content online.
Most of these bills follow a structure established in 2022 by the Institute for Family Studies and the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Under this framework, companies that produce or host a “substantial” amount of adult content — typically defined as 33 percent or more of their material — must implement systems to verify users’ ages before granting them access.
In most instances, they also provide legal recourse for parents. If minors manage to bypass age restrictions and access adult content, parents may have the right to sue the companies responsible for failing to enforce verification measures. This added accountability aims to ensure that companies take compliance seriously.
Some states are seeking to extend the scope of their age verification bills beyond adult content, incorporating additional regulations for social media platforms. For example, Minnesota’s House Filing 1875 proposes barring children under 14 from creating social media accounts and requiring parental consent for those aged 14 and 15. This policy aligns with broader efforts to protect minors from online risks beyond explicit material, including cyberbullying and exploitative algorithms.
Other states, such as Missouri and Hawaii, have divided their legislative efforts into separate bills — one focusing on age verification and another addressing penalties for noncompliance. This strategy allows lawmakers to approve the core provisions of age verification even if there is disagreement over the penalties for violators.
Wyoming has taken a unique and more stringent approach to age verification. Unlike other states that define “substantial” adult content as containing 33 percent or more, Wyoming’s HB 43 removes that threshold entirely.
Under the new law, any online platform hosting adult material — regardless of quantity — must verify the ages of users attempting to access it.
As more states push forward with legislation, the national conversation surrounding digital safety and parental oversight is likely to expand, potentially prompting federal action in the future. For now, the growing wave of state-level initiatives marks a significant shift in how policymakers address the intersection of technology and child safety.
This is not a free speech issue. This is about ensuring the safety and well-being of children. In a world increasingly shaped by digital content, Wyoming’s decision to implement an age verification law will help protect the hearts and minds of young people.
While no law is foolproof, evidence suggests that age verification laws significantly limit minors’ access to adult content. After Louisiana became the first state to implement such legislation in 2022, traffic to Pornhub from that state reportedly plummeted by 80 percent. The effectiveness of this approach has encouraged other states to follow suit, making it increasingly difficult for underage users to access explicit material online.
With a growing number of states adopting or considering age verification laws, the movement to protect minors online continues to gain traction. While some critics argue that these measures raise privacy concerns or place undue burdens on businesses, supporters emphasize the importance of shielding young audiences from potentially harmful content.
According to a report from The Daily Signal, Approximately 80 percent of children aged 12 to 17 have encountered online pornography, with more than half actively seeking it out. Regular exposure at a young age can contribute to distorted perceptions of sexuality and an increased tendency toward aggressive behavior.
All Americans should want to protect the innocence of minors, but as Christians, we are commanded to guard purity, uphold righteousness, and protect the vulnerable — especially children.
Proverbs 22:6 reminds us to “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” This verse underscores the importance of instilling moral values in young people, including safeguarding them from harmful influences.
The rise of online pornography presents a significant challenge to biblical principles of purity and holiness. Jesus warns in Matthew 5:28, “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Exposure to pornography from a young age distorts God’s design for sexuality, fosters addiction, and can lead to a variety of destructive behaviors. By enforcing age verification laws, Wyoming and other states are making an effort to shield young people from material that warps their understanding of love, relationships, and self-worth.
As believers, we should not only support public policies that align with biblical values but also take proactive steps within our own families and communities. Parents must take the lead in educating their children about God’s design for intimacy and relationships. Churches can provide resources, accountability, and encouragement for those struggling with temptation.
While legal measures alone cannot solve the problem of pornography, they serve as an important tool in the broader fight for holiness and family integrity. Christians must remain vigilant, prayerful, and engaged in promoting a culture that honors God in all aspects of life.
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