This battle kicked off almost a year ago when Pornhub blocked access in Utah over a similar age-verification law. As more states adopted these laws, Pornhub blockades followed. By early 2024, it was also blocked in North Carolina, Montana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Virginia.
In North Carolina, House Bill 8 is a larger education bill that also covers things like adding a computer science requirement for high school graduation. But it also imposes the age-verification check for adult sites. In signing the bill in late September, Gov. Roy Cooper said those age checks are "important...to help protect children from online pornography."