The Webcam Industry's Battle With Age Verification

The cam industry has a big problem: minors are consuming pornography, and lots of it. 

PornHub has floated the idea of age verification for U.S. citizens on a federal scale, and they’ve already added an “I’m Over 18” button in several states.

Still, when the stakes move from watching a pre-recorded video to purchasing live content from real people, the legal situation can get dicey at best. We don’t really have to go into detail, right?

OnlyFans infamously shuns the possibility of implementing age verification, causing some cam girls to leave the platform entirely over concerns that their buyers aren’t who they say they are.

This has created the need for independent sellers to verify the age of their buyers using a redacted version of their ID. Accidentally distributing content to a minor is still a criminal offense.

We believe that age verification is (and should be) inevitable for the camming industry. But how is it being tackled by the major platforms in 2024?

The Story of Age Verification: How Did The Issue Come to Light?

One quote from Oklahoma Rep. Toni Hasenbeck (R) summarizes the entire debate surrounding the push for age verification: “What is commonplace in our society is for a child to be alone with their digital device in their bedroom.” 

Today, pornography is accessible at the touch of a button.

So, there is a legitimate need to shield sixth-graders from seeing Lena Paul get demolished on the front page of XVideos. Critics view the government’s growing interest in age verification as just another impediment on free speech rights, but the root of the problem goes much deeper.

The only valid argument against requiring some form of age verification is how broadly the law could be interpreted in Rep. states that don’t have the best track record when it comes to LGBT rights and protections for teenagers who require a safe place to exist as their authentic selves.

Kansas criminal law defines “nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, and sadomasochistic abuse” as material that harms minors. A very reasonable hypothetical was posed by Kansas Rep. Brandon Woodward (D) – the legal definition of sexual conduct extends to being LGBT.

As such, he says, that means “being who we are [is defined as harmful to minors].” If a state decided to impose age verification on websites that simply provide information about gender identity and sexual orientation in a non-pornographic context, that would be covered by law.

Woodward also brought up the excellent distinction that you can’t really force Twitter, Instagram and TikTok to filter pornographic videos from regular posts and age-verify at certain junctions. It would be nearly impossible to enforce something like that, and teens always find a workaround.

From accessing the Dark Web to unregulated social media sites like VK, there will always be a source of pornography that flies completely under the radar. 

But does that mean we shouldn’t at least attempt to protect as many children as possible from viewing harmful material online?

Even the critics, most of whom are Democrats, acknowledge that something needs to change. However, concerns about privacy and informational security serve as road blocks. Both sides have valid criticisms, but nearly everyone can agree with the same principle. 

There needs to be a complete overhaul, but how is that being done on a state-by-state basis?

Let’s find out.

Louisiana

Louisiana’s age verification laws are among the strictest in the country, so we led with this state first. Parents are permitted to take legal action against adult content sites that don’t comply with the state’s regulations. On top of that, the state is able to impose fines of up to $5,000 per day.

Additionally, the state is able to levy an extra $10,000 fine for each instance of non-compliance.

“In preparation for this bill today, I went to one of the largest non-compliant porn sites, so I could tell you exactly what non-compliance to age verification looks like. With only one click I was able to access hardcore pornography on the landing page alone, depicting acts of incest, sexual assault, rape, and sex with minors,” said Rep. Laurie Schlegel, a Republican sponsoring the bill.

We’re not sure how easy it was for Ms. Schlegel to access that sort of material, but that’s a story for another day. The state law applies to websites that have at least 33% of their content flagged as “harmful to minors.”

Notably, PornHub isn’t blocked for users who verify their age using LA Wallet in Louisiana. This is only the case because Louisiana isn’t putting the onus on PornHub to collect user information, instead levying a third-party system that protects PornHub from a swath of potential lawsuits.

As of April 2023, the “LA Wallet” was the most widely used form of age verification, but Act No. 440 makes it clear that it’s not the only acceptable form of age verification. 

Sites are currently experimenting with facial recognition, digitized ID cards, and even transactional information. Many cam sites see these steps as a cumbersome expense, so the question becomes: to block state users, or not to block?

Utah

Utah’s sweeping proposal for age verification extends beyond adult content sites and into the world of social media, requiring that Facebook and Instagram enact “age assurance” measures by October 2024. They’ve already sued TikTok and Meta over the issue of child addiction harm.

Governor Cox alleges that TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram “illegally” bait children into the addictive and unhealthy use of social media. They’ve even gone so far as to force social media sites into disabling push notifications, autoplay, and perpetual scrolling.

Utah also permits children and parents to sue popular social media websites that use common curation algorithms under the guise of “mental health harm.” Utah’s questionable crusade also prohibits children under 18 from using social media between 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m by law.

However, they say that social media sites can protect themselves by implementing screen time limits and obtaining parental consent for minor accounts. As for adult content, Utah followed in the footsteps of Louisiana by making its residents document their ID card before watching porn. 

Mississippi

Mississippi signed Senate Bill 2346 into law on April 18, 2023, marking almost a year since PH made the decision to get out of town. 

In a Tweet published two months later, PornHub made it clear that they’d no longer be operating in Mississippi after their compliance with Louisiana was rewarded by an 80% drop in web traffic. They further explain that they’re the lesser of two evils.

“These people did not stop looking for porn. They just migrated to other corners of the Internet that don’t ask users to verify age, that don’t follow the law, that don’t take user safety seriously, and that often don’t even moderate content.” To their credit, PornHub purged any and all videos from unverified users back in 2020 over concerns that some of the models could be underage.

A facetious Reddit thread highlighted what could possibly be the easiest workaround of all-time. In response to a question asking whether Mississippi residents felt “super enlightened” now that PornHub was no longer accessible, u/amoeba953 remarked, “My phone thinks it’s in Germany.” 

Newsweek documented a 35% spike in ExpressVPN usage the week after Senate Bill 2346 was passed. Louisiana’s VPN usage increased by 12%, and Utah’s VPN usage increased by 57%. If we didn’t know any better, we might imagine that – gasp! – people kept watching porn anyway.

Virginia

The same Newsweek report documented that ExpressVPN usage in Virginia increased by 39% after they followed in Mississippi’s footsteps two months later with a nearly identical law related to age verification. On July 1, 2023, adult websites were required to verify the ID of their users.

If PornHub or another major conglomerate refused to comply, they’d be slammed with fines up the wazoo. As such, PornHub took their ball and went home by ceasing operations in the state. Senate Bill 1515 felt like a carbon copy of Senate Bill 2346, and so was Aylo’s response.

Senator Louise Lucas of the 18th District posted a tongue-and-cheek Tweet that rubbed salt in the wound for many Virginia residents, but she does have a sense of humor. “Is anyone else’s PornHub not working?” The Tweet received 6.6k likes and caused a firestorm with 685 replies. 

Arkansas

Arkansas is about as deep in the Bible Belt as you can possibly get, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that their state legislature jumped on the opportunity to attack adult content. 

SB 66 didn’t require PornHub to cease operations in the state, but they imposed a stipulation that would force PornHub to collect citizens’ personal data.

In response, PornHub pulled out of the state entirely. Rather than policing who can access their site, they chose to prioritize their bottom line and avoid a potential headache. PornHub quotes privacy and safety concerns as the chief reason why they’re no longer available in Little Rock.

They believe that device-based age verification is the only true solution that doesn’t egregiously impose on the constitutional rights of American citizens.

Montana

Montana rolled out a state-wide ban on pornography when they passed SB 544 on January 1st, 2023. The bill alleges that adult sites are “creating a public health crisis and having a corroding influence on minors.” As such, they require porn sites to collect personal data from your license.

PornHub stayed true to their track record by ceasing operations in the state, prompting a 20% spike in ExpressVPN usage the week after SB 544 was codified into law. There’s not much we can say that hasn’t already been said, but it seems like each state followed the same blueprint.

Again, until baby boomers can wrap their heads around the idea that there are hundreds if not thousands of smaller porn and cam sites hosting stolen content, we’re going to be seeing more of these ineffective bans crop up. Pro tip, Senators: most porn sites online aren’t hosted on US servers!

That’s not to mention the prevalence of porn on Twitter (X), but that’s neither here nor there.

North Carolina

The Pornography Age Verification Enforcement (PAVE) Act was signed into law by Gov. Roy Cooper in September 2023 with the same legal premise – PornHub and other adult content platforms were forced to age-check users at the door with a valid state ID or driver’s license.

Rather than bending to North Carolina’s regime, PornHub exercised their right to prevent all NC residents from accessing their website. Of course, VPN usage went up by 26% in the week after PAVE took effect. There is an argument to be made that users will simply seek out content from sites that don’t follow any rules or regulations. 

In the case of cam sites, this is likely to have the perverse effect of users seeking out their favorite models on illegal leaked stream sites instead. Just ask any model what she thinks of Recurbate... doh.

In tandem with other legislation aimed at restricting proper sex education by framing it as filthy and immoral, North Carolina’s ban on pornography takes away the last outlet that could assist teenagers in finding their identities. Instead, NC preaches abstinence without harm reduction.

Honestly, it’s a shame that porn is viewed as a final resort for sex education in any capacity.

Texas

Texas’ legislature codified House Bill 1181 into law during the summer of 2023, making it all but compulsory for porn sites to harvest personal information on a massive scale by requiring them to age-verify users with a valid government ID or driver’s license.

For clarity’s sake, Texas and the states we’ve already discussed also require platforms that contain 33% (or more) adult content to age-verify users by gathering their identifying details.

Initially, a U.S. District Court Judge blocked the measure in August 2023, citing potential First Amendment violations as the reason for his decision. However, the U.S. Court of Appeals won a 2-1 decision to reinstate the new law. This prompted PornHub to pull out of the state entirely.

Searches for “VPN” skyrocketed by 234.8% the day after House Bill 1181 (H.B. 1181) passed in Texas. The demand for virtual private network services dropped to 35% over the course of that week. 

PornHub might not operate in Texas, but they’re certainly available with a New York VPN.

Possible: Kansas

We mentioned Kansas earlier, but let’s discuss the pending status of the new age verification law that was just passed in the Senate. According to lawyer Alejandra Caballo, Kansas’ sweeping legislation would give them the authority to age-restrict all LGBTQ+ content.

Depending on how broadly SB 394 is interpreted by the powers that be, this poses a threat to LGBTQ+ teenagers looking for medical information online. It hasn’t yet been approved by Gov. Laura Kelly (D), but it already passed with overwhelming majorities in the House and Senate.

This means that a veto from the governor’s seat would likely be overridden, but she makes it a point to approve legislation with bipartisan support. 

There’s a good chance we might be seeing PornHub respond to Kansas’ next move in short order, and it’ll be interesting to see how things play out from an LGBTQ+ standpoint given Kansas’ latest attempt to ban gender-affirming care.

How Is The Same Situation Being Handled On A Global Scale?

It’s not just the United States taking a renewed interest in mandatory age verification for porn sites and cam platforms: other countries have been dealing with the same issue, but their responses couldn’t be any more different. For brevity’s sake, we’re zooming in on the United Kingdom and Australia.

Here, we have two opposing sides – Australia’s federal government has already said that they won’t force adult websites to implement age verification due to privacy & safety concerns, most of which are related to the infancy of the technology being used for facial recognition purposes.

Instead, eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant was tasked with the challenge of finding new ways to educate parents about how easy it can be to access online porn. Rather than stepping in, Australia’s government kicks the can down the road to frame it as a problem for Mom & Dad.

Other stated concerns include the risk of adults’ personal information being used for fraudulent purposes when all they’re trying to do is rub one out. 

As of August 2023, new eSafety codes for educating parents about filtering software were still under development. The Online Safety Act was also brought up for an independent review in 2024, and you can read all the findings here.

A year later, the silence is palpable. While it’s understandable to be concerned about potential data breaches and breaks in privacy, burying their heads in the sand and relying on a roadmap to keep their moral standing intact isn’t the best solution. 

Now, let’s look at the UK’s approach.

Their government said that they “want the U.K. to be the safest place to go online in the world,” and they’re gambling on age verification to make that happen. Not a country to be concerned with adult privacy, the U.K. has been trying to implement age checks on porn sites for years.

With the advent of artificial intelligence and continual improvements in facial recognition tech, the UK's Internet regulator (Ofcom) laid out mandatory guidelines for porn sites in Sep. 2023. If not followed, porn sites would have to pay massive fines worth up to 10% and/or £18 million.

After Parliament codified the Online Safety Bill into law, it became apparent just how many other privacy concerns needed to be addressed. Chiefly, Ofcom was granted sweeping power to scan social media messages for illegal materials. This means the UK essentially outlawed encryption.

This posed major problems for end-to-end encrypted messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, and the now-deceased Wickr (rest in peace). 

Not wanting to be compelled for backdoor information in spite of their best-in-class security measures, several of these services have opted to leave the U.K. under threat of jail time for top-level executives who don’t comply.

Despite extreme controversy and backlash from major tech giants up to and including Apple, the Online Safety Bill received Royal Assent on October 26, 2023. Unfortunately, it didn’t have any sort of amendment to protect the right to privacy and end-to-end encryption for UK citizens.

As you can probably tell, Australia and the U.K. represent two extremes on the scale between prioritizing privacy and shielding minors from harmful material. 

Maybe such a polar approach doesn’t pay off, which means the U.S. needs to find a middle ground if they want to succeed.

How Can Mandatory Age Verification Benefit Existing Cam Sites?

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to predict why existing cam sites might benefit from verifying the age of the people they’re hosting on their platform. 

A key benefit of implementing age verification is putting models at ease, thereby increasing profits.

As we've seen, some models are contemplating a breakaway from OnlyFans because they don’t verify the age of subscribers. If someone requests a custom three weeks before they turn eighteen, you could be in a boatload of legal trouble. Yes, even if they use a fake ID to trick you.

Another theoretical benefit of a platform like Chaturbate imposing mandatory age verification is building trust with other companies. Complying with age verification regulations is a major step towards securing future investments from shareholders, but doing the opposite scares them off.

At CamsRank we believe that implementing proper age verification is the right thing to do. 

We don’t have any opinions on how that should be done, but it’s clear now more than ever that something has to change. Regardless, a complete overhaul of the industry might be a good place to start.

Quick caveat: Age verification laws are constantly evolving on a state-by-state basis, and our analysis of the current situation is only valid so long as Congress remains stagnant. 

What do you think? Are you for or against age verification in the cam industry?

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