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People who want to visit pornographic websites in the US state of Louisiana must now provide legal proof they are over 18.
Any porn sites that do not check users are adults can now be sued in the state.
The legislation, which has been criticised by internet privacy campaigners, came into force this week after being introduced last year by Republican Laurie Schlegel.
“Online pornography is extreme and graphic and only one click away from our children,” she said on Twitter.
“This is not your daddy’s Playboy.
“And if pornography companies refuse to be responsible, then we must hold them accountable.”
The legislation has pushed major pornography websites to adopt Louisiana’s LA Wallet system, which allows the state’s residents to hold a digital driving licence or ID card.
It includes a mandate that user information is not retained in an attempt to alleviate privacy concerns.
The Louisiana bill may offer a hint towards how the UK’s long-awaited Online Safety Bill will attempt to protect children from adult content.
The proposed law – which aims to regulate online content to help keep users safe, especially children, and to make companies responsible for the material – will make companies use age-checking measures to protect under-18s from accessing pornographic content.
Read more:
Why the Online Safety Bill is proving so controversial
Online Safety Bill might not be too little, but it’s certainly too late
Law ‘must consider right to privacy’
The NSPCC told Sky News that communications regulator Ofcom should be given the power to enforce minimum standards for age assurance, balancing the protection of children with an adult’s right to privacy.
“Watching pornography at a young age can have a detrimental impact on a children’s understanding…
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