Where Americans Stand on Forcing Age Checks for Porn Sites

The vast majority of Americans support a federal law requiring age verification for app downloads or access to pornographic content online, according to a poll released on Thursday and shared with The Daily Wire.

The poll, conducted by Cygnal last month, shows that 83% of likely voters support an age verification law for mobile app downloads, and 81% of likely voters support age verification for pornographic sites.

House lawmakers met on Thursday to debate legislation aimed at protecting children from inappropriate online content by requiring Big Tech companies to verify that children cannot gain access to adult apps, websites, or social media platforms without their parents’ consent.

Cygnal’s poll, which surveyed 1,048 likely 2026 election voters, showed broad approval for the law that also cut across party lines. Nearly 40% of those who responded to the poll described themselves as Republicans, while 35% of the respondents said they are Democrats, and 24% identified themselves as independents.

Terry Schilling, the president of the conservative advocacy group American Principles Project, said the poll shows that parents are united in pushing back against Big Tech’s reluctance to set up age verification policies for their platforms.

“Parents are fighting to protect their children, and their enemy isn’t just Big Porn but the Silicon Valley titans that profit from it. They have one advantage in an uphill fight: the American voter,” said Schilling. “A supermajority of Americans — from conservatives to independents and even many liberals — are united in their call to rein in Big Tech. For too long, parents have been alone in the fight against exploitive algorithms and apps. It’s time for Congress to step up and pass commonsense legislation that puts families first.”

On Thursday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee debated the Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act and the APP Store Accountability Act. The Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act would require platforms to help prevent children from accessing potentially harmful content, while the APP Store Accountability Act would force app stores to set up parental consent requirements before a child downloads an app.

“My App Store Accountability Act is simple: kids cannot consent and power belongs to parents, not Big Tech,” Republican Rep. John James of Michigan said earlier this week. “Just as how corner stores are held responsible for keeping adult & addictive materials from minors, my bill holds digital app stores to the same standard.”

Half of the U.S. states already require age verification for pornography sites. The age verification laws have been enacted by mostly Republican-led states, while deep blue states have taken little to no action to ensure that users who enter pornographic websites are at least 18 years of age. After Louisiana became the first state to enact an age verification law, Pornhub’s traffic in the state dropped by around 80%, POLITICO reported. After other states, such as Missouri, Virginia, and Utah, followed Louisiana’s lead, Pornhub decided to completely stop operating its website in states that passed age verification laws.

But protecting children from porn sites isn’t the only concern for  Americans.

Social media giants — including Meta, YouTube, and Snapchat — have also faced recent scrutiny over how their platforms affect children. Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube are currently on trial in a bellwether social media addiction case before the California Superior Court in Los Angeles County.

The case stems from a 20-year-old woman, referred to as K.G.M., who argues that social media platforms have knowingly designed their platforms to get children and young users addicted and that her mental health struggles began after she became addicted to social media. TikTok and Snapchat were also sued in the case, but settled with the plaintiff before the trial began.

Last month, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in the addiction case and argued that his company has “navigated this in a reasonable way.”

In recent years, Meta has rolled out online safety features for children using Instagram. The platform’s “Teen Accounts” keep children’s accounts private, meaning other Instagram users cannot see posts from or contact a Teen Account unless the teenager accepts their follow requests. Instagram also censors content on Teen Accounts, so that children are not shown content that features fighting or cosmetic procedures.

Other countries have recently pursued more severe restrictions on children’s access to social media. In December, Australia became the first country to ban children under 16 from creating accounts on many social media platforms. Malaysia has introduced a similar ban.