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Texas' age verification law requires the submission of a valid ID before you can access adult sites. The law was enforced on September 1, 2023, and access to porn sites has been blocked since March 14, 2024. That said, after being forced to implement age verification checks and collect personally identifiable information, PornHub and its affiliates are no longer available in Texas.
The reasoning behind this law is that the younger generations need protection from freely available adult content. Texas lawmakers claim that pornography is addictive and contributes to body image and mental health issues, which is not backed by science.
Right off the bat, we’ll tell you that you can bypass the Texas age verification law quite easily. With a VPN, you can change your virtual location and access PornHub without any restrictions. On top of that, no one will see your porn-related activities.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to watch porn in Texas with a VPN, explain why VPNs are essential in this case, and discuss Texas’ latest age verification laws. We'll also talk about the status of the age verification porn law rollout, which porn sites require ID checks in Texas, and explain PornHub’s decision to block access in Texas before we finish with a round of FAQs.
The trick is to obtain an IP address from a state where Pornhub is freely available, which will change your virtual location. For that, you need to sign up for a VPN and download its app - like so:
At the moment, PornHub doesn't work in Texas, Virginia, Louisiana, Montana, North Carolina, Arkansas, Utah, Mississippi, Indiana, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, and Nebraska. So, connect to a VPN server in any state aside from those above, and you’ll manage to watch PornHub from anywhere without any obstacles.
A VPN allows you to access PornHub and other adult sites by bypassing age verification. In other words, they help you change your virtual location, giving you access to restricted, censored, and geo-blocked content. Aside from that, they’ll hide your IP and enhance your digital privacy.
Without a VPN (as seen in the image above), PornHub will display a note after detecting your Texas IP address. You’ll see a long explanation, which starts with: “As you may know, your elected officials in Texas are requiring us to verify your age before allowing you access to our website. Not only does this impinge on the rights of adults to access protected speech, it fails strict scrutiny by employing the least effective and yet also most restrictive means of accomplishing Texas's stated purpose of allegedly protecting minors.”
After connecting to a state with free access to adult content (New York or California, for example), you’ll access PornHub as you did before Texas’ porn ban, without any blocks. Here’s more information on how a VPN can help you:
Of course, not every VPN service is good enough to unblock PornHub in Texas. Our #1 pick is NordVPN, as it’s proven to be the best VPN for bypassing geo-blocks and one of the fastest VPNs available. So, you get speed, privacy protection, and open access to the Web.
Texas’ HB 1181 law passed in June 2023, asking companies that offer “sexual material harmful to minors” to implement age-verification checks. Initially, it also required adult websites to show a “health warning,” saying that pornography increases the demand for prostitution, child exploitation, and child pornography.
At first, Texas’ age verification law was postponed as companies behind adult websites tried overturning it. In the most recent development, the age verification portion was ruled to be justified, while the health warning requirement was struck down.
As of right now, accessing pornography in Texas is possible only after proving identity. That’s done by submitting government-issued identification, such as an ID card or passport. In other words, websites must ensure their visitors are 18 or older.
As long as you're 18 or older, you can watch porn in Texas without any legal consequences. That said, the latest changes to pornography-related legislation in Texas discourage those under 18 from accessing explicit content online. So, adult sites aren't banned - but instead forced to implement age checks.
We'll also add that using a VPN is legal in Texas. However, a VPN isn't an excuse to do anything against the law, even though it will hide your porn-watching habits from your Internet provider. So, if you're underage and reside in Texas, you shouldn't use a VPN to access any type of content meant for mature audiences, such as pornography.
It's also interesting to note that Texas' porn legislation doesn't impose any fines when it comes to individuals. Instead, there's a civil penalty of around $10,000 if a porn site refuses to implement age verification checks, as well as $2,500 if a minor gets on the site unauthorized.
PornHub is blocking access in Texas because the company behind the website is firmly against the implementation of age verification checks. More precisely, Aylo (the owner of PornHub) thinks that age verification is justified, but only when done right.
Per the company’s statements, submitting highly sensitive data, such as your ID card, creates a substantial security risk. That’s because it’s based on age verification software that asks users to hand over highly sensitive data, introducing the risk of data breaches. There’s also the possibility of malicious actors using that data to exploit and extort people.
PornHub proposes to replace software-based identity checks that store sensitive data with a device-based solution. The adult content platform recommends identifying users at the source – by their device or account on the device. That way, users would only get verified once, through their operating system, not on each age-restricted site.
In the meantime, while the battle between the porn industry and Texas lawmakers continues, PornHub is blocking access to more US states. More precisely, the site isn't only blocked in Texas but also in Virginia, Louisiana, Montana, North Carolina, Arkansas, Utah, Mississippi, Indiana, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, and Nebraska.
The only reason why PornHub thinks you're in Texas is because you likely have a Texas IP address. That could happen, for example, if you're in a neighboring state, such as Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, or New Mexico.
Your Internet provider might assign you a Texas IP if you're in a city in one of the neighboring states very close to Texas. There's no easy way to change your IP without a VPN app, but you can try to restart your router, which should assign you a new IP in most cases.
Also, if you use a low-end, free-of-charge VPN, you probably can't pick a US location manually. So, your VPN might be connecting you to a data center in Texas, giving you a local IP. In that case, you'll want to use a more powerful VPN or check our guide to the best VPNs for porn, offering more locations across the US.
Texas' age verification law has already forced a number of adult sites to block users from this US state, which is their way of protesting age verification checks and data logging. Other sites decided to comply with the new law.
More precisely, sites like Pornhub, RedTube, xHamster, Brazzers, and YouPorn have completely blocked access to Texans. Chaturbate was forced through legal means to implement age verification checks. There are also sites like xVideos and XNXX that have not implemented any restrictive measures.
Here's a brief overview of the availability of the most popular porn sites in Texas:
As you know by now, websites such as Pornhub, RedTube, YouPorn, Brazzers, and countless more no longer work in Texas. However, not all adult sites have decided to block local addresses. Those available, such as xHamster, Chaturbate, and Stripchat, now require an age check. We did our own testing, so let's take a closer look at the situation with the most popular adult sites.
Pornhub was among the first porn sites to block IP addresses from Texas and has promised to remain inaccessible as long as Texas' age verification checks are mandatory. The site currently shows a lengthy message explaining why it's inaccessible and what, as a Texan, you can do regarding your local laws. Connecting to a VPN server in a state like California or New York unblocks the site.
Unlike most other websites, xHamster has implemented various ways to check your age. You'll be presented with three options upon agreeing to allow the site to collect your sensitive information. You can use a digital ID app, upload a photo of your ID, or allow the site to take a photo to assess your age.
YouPorn belongs to the same group of sites as Pornhub - under a single company's management. You can't access it with a Texas IP address, and you'll see a message explaining why the state's newly implemented age verification checks are problematic. To access YouPorn in Texas, you need to use a VPN with a server in a server where porn sites are still widely available.
RedTube doesn't work in Texas any longer. Instead of showing its sizable content library, it now shows a message that highlights the problematic parts of Texas' age verification law. The only way to access the site from Texas is to obtain another state's IP address. Of course, you can use a VPN to change your IP and access RedTube anonymously.
Chaturbate has decided to comply with Texas' age verification law, which means you'll see a prompt that asks you to prove that you're allowed to visit pornography. Right now, there are three options to choose between. You can use an app that processes your ID, allow the website to scan your ID, or allow the site to scan your face.
If you have a Texas IP, you can no longer access Brazzers as the site is blocking IP addresses from the state. Instead, a lengthy note explains why allowing websites to process your ID is a bad idea. Like most other websites, we managed to unblock Brazzers using a VPN. Just make sure to connect to a VPN server in a US state where porn is still widely available.
PornTube comes from the same family of websites as 4Tube, Fux, and PornerBros, and none of those currently work in Texas. Upon visiting PornTube with a Texas IP, you will see a 403 error message that says: "You're not allowed to see this content due to the restrictions in your country about porn." Using a VPN server from a region with free access to porn can bypass this block.
Spankbang uses AI age detection to prove your age before you can access the website. That means no ID is needed, but you'll be forced to create an account and use the site's AI technology to scan your face. This is a one-time procedure, meaning you'll verify your age only once. After that, you can log in to your account upon each visit to Spankbang.
Upon visiting Stripchat, we encountered a block explaining that we needed to verify our age to unlock its content. The procedure to do so requires creating an account. Then, you can verify your age by uploading a video selfie, providing your government ID, or using a digital app like Yoti that safely stores your ID and personal details.
OnlyFans is among the rare porn sites that are still available in Texas. You can create an account and subscribe to any content creators you want to follow. That said, most of OnlyFans' content is related to pornography, so the question remains - how long will this website remain accessible in Texas? Remember that a VPN will help you future-proof your access to OnlyFans.
After being forced to implement age verification checks, the first response by some of the biggest adult sites was to block access to Texans. Some also tried to bypass age verification requirements, which led Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to sue companies behind brands like Chaturbate and xHamster. Chaturbate responded by implementing the required age checks.
In the meantime, sites like Pornhub, RedTube, xHamster, Brazzers, and YouPorn remain unavailable in this US state. A trade group representing adult entertainment performers ('Free Speech Coalition') tried to put the law on hold just recently but failed in its effort. The Supreme Court of the United States denied the appeal on April 30, 2024.
In the meantime, Texas' porn age verification law remains active. We'll more likely see more adult sites being forced to implement age checks, as the law comes with a $10,000-a-day fine for violators and a $250,000 fine if a minor is exposed to adult content due to the lack of an age verification check.
Texas is the latest US state to try to regulate pornography. As commendable as that can be, the fact is that Texas lawmakers are sticking to privacy-intruding age verification checks. The result of that is the PornHub ban, which remains inaccessible in Texas. However, all you need is a VPN, as changing your virtual location will help you evade age verification checks, letting you watch porn in Texas.
There's no better option than NordVPN, which is the best VPN to get on PornHub in Texas, as it’s a highly secure and private VPN. It allows you to connect to a range of US states where porn is accessible, and you won’t have to worry about others seeing what you do online. Even better, NordVPN has extra-fast performance and can bypass any geo-block in seconds.
That’s all for our guide on how to access PornHub in Texas, alongside other adult sites. If you have any questions, please use the comments section below. Thanks for reading!