Age-verification law, on the record
Where you must prove your age, what you must show, and who decided.
63 jurisdictions tracked 139 instruments on record 83 in force 11 enjoined
The observatory
One lens per law family. Shading shows whether a law is in force, enacted but not in force, or none is on record, in each state.
What must a person show before viewing adult content, and what happens to that proof?
What may a minor do on social platforms, and whose consent does the law require?
When is age proven once, at the app store or device, instead of at every service?
How must a service change once the law treats its user as a minor?
National and supranational law is tracked off the map, in the cards below.
AgeGating records what the law is. A statute blocked by a court is shown as enjoined; a repealed one as repealed. Nothing on this page grades whether a law is good policy.
Findings
Views derived from the record above, not independent judgments.
Adult content
27 states with a law in force, covering 168,497,780 residents.
Social media
7 states with a law in force, covering 77,606,702 residents.
App stores and devices
1 state with a law in force, covering 29,640,343 residents.
Design codes
10 states with a law in force, covering 57,982,603 residents.
Effective-year timeline
| Year | Instruments took effect |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 1 |
| 2001 | 1 |
| 2003 | 1 |
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2023 | 8 |
| 2024 | 17 |
| 2025 | 33 |
| 2026 | 11 |
Status box score
| Status | Instruments |
|---|---|
| Enacted, not yet in force | 18 |
| Enjoined | 11 |
| In force | 83 |
| Proposed | 23 |
| Repealed | 2 |
| Struck down | 1 |
| Superseded | 1 |