FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 7th, 2025
Contact: Ashley Vaughan
[email protected]
BILL REQUIRING AGE VERIFICATION OF INDIVIDUALS IN PORNOGRAPHIC IMAGES PASSES IN NC HOUSE
RALEIGH, NC — Today, HB 805, a bill aimed at ending exploitation in the pornography industry, passed in the North Carolina House of Representatives on a 113-0 unanimous vote. The bill now moves to the North Carolina Senate for consideration.
The “Prevent Sexual Abuse of Women and Minors Act” requires that pornography websites verify that people on their websites are at least 18 years old and have consented, in writing, to be there. It also makes a way for those who have been exploited by pornography websites to have content removed and provides significant financial penalties for violations.
Tami Fitzgerald, Executive Director of the North Carolina Values Coalition, praised the NC House for this action, saying, “We are thankful the House passed this important bill, which is a critical step in safeguarding vulnerable individuals from exploitation by the pornography industry. It’s time to permanently put a stop to the sexual exploitation of women and children in North Carolina.”
HB 805 has bipartisan support; it is sponsored by Reps. Neal Jackson, Laura Budd, Sarah Stevens, and Jennifer Balkcom.
Background:
It is a critical time to protect children from exploitation by the pornography industry because online child sexual abuse material is on the rise. In the US, reports have grown exponentially in recent years, from 3,000 reports in 1998 to more than 1,000,000 in 2014 and 18,400,000 in 2018. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children recorded more than 29,300,000 reports of suspected child sexual abuse material in 2021, the highest number of reports ever received in a single year and a 35 percent increase from 2020.
