A newly elected Arizona lawmaker is taking a firm stance on protecting minors from accessing pornography online. Republican Rep. Nick Kupper, a U.S. Air Force veteran and former contestant on American Ninja Warrior, has introduced House Bill 2112, which would require websites with significant explicit content to implement age-verification measures for an added feature of safety.
The proposed legislation mandates that platforms hosting more than one-third sexually explicit material verify users’ ages to ensure they are 18 or older in order to access the site. The bill specifies that these websites must use a “commercial age verification system” and display warnings from the Arizona Department of Health and Human Services on their home pages, emphasizing the harmful effects of sexual material on minors. Violators could face steep fines.
“You know, we do a lot of things as adults to protect our minors,” Kupper told FOX 10 on Jan. 14. “Children aren’t fully developed yet, and it’s our job to shield them. We already have similar measures for alcohol, tobacco, and driving. This is just one more way to proactively safeguard them. If you’re an adult, it’s your choice to view such material, but minors need our protection.”
If passed, Arizona would join states like Florida and Texas, which implemented similar laws in 2023. In response to such regulations, platforms like Pornhub have already blocked access to users in Texas.
At this time, the bill has not been assigned to a committee, but it signals a growing trend among states to address minors’ online safety.
