All the states Pornhub is blocked in now
Mashable
February 23, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
As of February 2026, Pornhub has been blocked in 22 U.S. states due to age-verification laws, which require users to submit government IDs or other forms of age authentication to access explicit content. These laws vary by state but typically apply to sites with over a third of explicit content. While Louisiana was the first state to enact such a law several years ago, others have followed suit. The Supreme Court recently upheld Texas's age-verification law as constitutional, setting a precedent for similar legislation across the country.
Despite Pornhub being blocked in states like Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming, it remains unblocked in Ohio due to a legal clause exempting providers of interactive computer services. In Louisiana, where age verification is mandatory, Pornhub has seen a significant decline in traffic—around 80%—as users have migrated to darker corners of the internet that do not enforce such laws.
Critics argue that these laws are ineffective at preventing minors from accessing explicit content. They point out that tools like VPNs allow users to bypass location-based restrictions, and many non-compliant websites continue to operate unchecked. This has led to concerns about online safety, as users are increasingly turning to unregulated platforms that lack proper age verification or content moderation. Experts warn that these laws not only fail to protect children but also put adult users at risk
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Originally published on Mashable on 2/23/2026