June 27, 2025
(Washington): Today, the Supreme Court released its decision in Free Speech Coalition Inc. v. Paxton, upholding a Texas law which age restricts porn sites in a major win for parents and children.
The case centers around a Texas law that requires pornography websites to implement age verification systems in order to age restrict their obscene content. The law helps to protect children online from explicit adult content. The trade association for the pornography industry challenged the Texas law in court.
Clare Morell, EPPC fellow and Director of its Technology and Human Flourishing Project, was in the courtroom for the arguments in January and has been involved in this fight from the beginning, putting out model legislation and helping facilitate efforts by states to pass age-verification laws for pornography websites. She has written about the case here.
“Whether it’s renting a car, buying alcohol, or going to an R-rated movie, society is incredibly comfortable with enacting fair age restrictions in order to protect our children. It is very telling that porn companies are so strongly opposed to accepting any measure for ensuring children do not access their content.” – Clare Morell, EPPC Fellow and Author of The Tech Exit
The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the constitutionality of age-verification laws for pornography websites now paves the path for other states’ laws to successfully move forward.
Currently there are 23 states who have passed similar legislation. Additionally, a national age-verification law, the SCREEN Act, has been introduced by Senator Mike Lee. This decision will undoubtedly have far-reaching consequences on efforts to better protect children online.
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Media Inquiries:
Hunter Estes
Director of Communications
Ethics and Public Policy Center
[email protected]
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Author: brianpeckford
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