Committee advances age-verification bill for websites hosting material harmful to minors

Representative Volley presented House Bill 43 to the Senate Judiciary Committee as a targeted, civil-remedy age-verification measure intended to reduce minors' exposure to online pornography and other material judged harmful to minors. "Age verification is proving your age without disclosing your identity," Ian Corby, an expert testifying by video, summarized during the hearing.

What the bill would do

House Bill 43 would require certain covered platforms — defined as entities that "in the regular course of business create, host, or make available content that is material harmful to minors" for profit — to implement reasonable age-verification measures before granting access. The bill lists permissible verification methods (for example, third-party verification based on an ID or a credit card, facial age-estimation technology, mobile- or email-based verification) and places strict limits on the retention of identifying information. The statute creates a private cause of action for harms resulting from failure to verify and for improper retention or disclosure of identifying information; damages and attorney's fees are available in prescribed circumstances.

Why it matters: supporters, opponents and legal context

Supporters told the committee that unchecked access to online pornography is widespread and harmful to children. Representative Volley cited research on early exposure and asserted that targeted age verification reduces unintentional exposure and limits harm. Several witnesses — including child-protection…