New Jersey lawmakers convened Monday to hear testimony on proposals aimed at intensifying age verification for access to pornographic websites and implementing other measures to restrict minors’ access to explicit content.

The Republican-led legislative panel, attended by four Republicans and Democratic Assemblywoman Tennille McCoy (D-Mercer), discussed potential new restrictions citing concerns about minors exhibiting more aggressive sexual tendencies due to exposure to pornography.

Assemblywoman Vicky Flynn (R-Monmouth) emphasized the ease with which minors can access explicit content, highlighting the need for parental awareness. “You’re two clicks away from having access to porn, which is frightening. I think every parent needs to know that, and I don’t think they really do grasp that when they give a 10-year-old, an 11-year-old, a 12-year-old a cellphone that has access to … these types of sites,” Flynn said.

The hearing was held to mark World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

Assembly Bill A4146: Sponsored by Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-Morris), this bill would mandate robust age verification methods for websites where a significant portion of the content is sexual in nature. The restriction would apply to:

• Social media platforms where at least one-third of accounts host such content.
• Any site where such content comprises at least one-third of all content on at least one user account.
• Search engines that return explicit results at the same rate as any user search.

The bill calls for the use of digital identification cards or other “reasonable” age verification methods, such as artificial intelligence, to measure age based on facial recognition or scanning an ID.

Iain Corby, executive director of the Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA), explained that current technology could support these measures. “We can also use your voice or, if you’re willing to share, your email address. Based on where you’ve used your email address — not many five-year-olds have been searching for a better interest rate on their mortgage using their email address,” Corby said.

Assembly Bill A3819: Proposed by Assemblyman Michael Inganamort (R-Morris), this bill would require electronics manufacturers to block access to sites with obscene material. Consumers over 18 could pay a $20 per-device tax to disable the filter. The funds generated from this digital access fee would be forwarded to the New Jersey Attorney General’s office to combat human trafficking.

Critics of these proposals argue that such measures could raise significant privacy concerns. For example, AU10TIX, an Israeli firm providing identity verification services to major platforms like TikTok, X, and Uber, left identifying information exposed for over a year after a security breach.

To address these concerns, Webber’s bill prohibits age verification firms from retaining consumers’ identifying information after they’ve been granted access to a restricted site.

John Schweppe, policy director for the American Principles Project, supported the necessity of these restrictions, citing the increasing exposure of minors to explicit content. “As it stands currently, New Jersey online porn websites are free to distribute the most hardcore porn imaginable to children,” Schweppe said. “There’s no consequences for doing so. This has led to a proliferation of porn use among young people. According to one study, the average age of first porn use is now just 12 years old.”

These proposed bills come at a time when similar age verification laws are in place in 19 states, predominantly Republican-led. Some states, like Louisiana and Utah, have already implemented these laws, while others have scheduled them to take effect in the coming years. The Free Speech Coalition and major porn sites have filed lawsuits against Texas over its age verification law, a case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court.