Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita filed a lawsuit Dec. 3 against operators of approximately 50 pornographic websites, accusing them of violating the state’s age-verification law. The lawsuit, filed in Marion Superior Court in Indianapolis, primarily targets websites associated with multinational pornographic conglomerate Aylo.
The state alleges the websites have deliberately exposed children to obscene and sexually explicit content by failing to implement proper age verification measures. Popular websites in the Aylo portfolio include Pornhub, YouPorn and RedTube.
Indiana’s age-verification law took effect in August 2024 following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed a similar Texas law to stand by a 6-3 vote. The legislation requires pornographic websites to verify users’ ages before granting access to adult content.
The lawsuit claims children have been exposed to content depicting sexual violence, choking, rape fantasies, sex slavery and sexual content involving teenagers. State officials argue the measure protects minors from accessing harmful material.
In addition to age-verification violations, the lawsuit alleges the websites violated Indiana’s Deceptive Consumer Sales Act. The state claims the companies made false statements about website accessibility to Indiana residents and misled consumers regarding hosting of child sexual abuse material and nonconsensual content.
Rokita noted that other adult industries including alcohol, gambling and tobacco already employ age-verification technology. State officials maintain the requirements are not overly burdensome compared to the benefit of protecting children.
The legal action represents part of a broader trend among state governments implementing age-verification requirements for adult websites. Several states have enacted similar legislation aimed at preventing minors from accessing pornographic content online.
