HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Republican State Rep. Ben Robbins declared in a radio interview Wednesday that Pornhub’s decision to shut down access in Alabama indicates that the state’s new age verification law is “successful.”
Although the new law does not take effect until Oct. 1, Robbins — who co-sponsored HB 164 — told WVNN’s “The Dale Jackson Show” that Pornhub’s decision to pull up stakes in Alabama demonstrates that the legislation is already achieving its goals.
“I think it means it’s successful,” Robbins said.
The Alabama Legislature passed the so-called “porn ID” bill in April, after which it was signed into law by Republican Gov. Kay Ivey. One of many such bills promoted by religious conservatives around the country, the new law requires sites to use “a reasonable age-verification method” to ensure minors cannot access adult material.
In his radio interview, Robbins accuses Pornhub of intentionally marketing to children as its “business model.” He also asserts that the popularity of specific genres of porn demonstrates this.
“The product they’re selling… is geared toward teenage boys,” he says. “It’s not geared toward even adults. It’s teachers, stepmoms — it’s things that boys would experience, and it’s trying to get them engaged and addicted to this product.”
“I mean, what is your business model, other than getting young children addicted to your product?” Robbins asked.
Although promoted as a way to protect children, the bill contends without evidence that pornography is “a public health crisis” and “increases the demand for sex trafficking.”
Banning Pornography ‘From the Back Door’
As XBIZ has been reporting, Republican legislators and politicians across the country have explicitly stated that the intended goal of their age verification bills is to block access to Pornhub specifically, and have celebrated that outcome in states where the site has curtailed its services. In July, former Donald Trump staffer and Project 2025 co-author Russell Vought told undercover reporters that the Heritage Foundation-led initiative’s tactics include banning pornography “from the back door” through age verification legislation.
In other states that have passed age verification laws, Pornhub has replaced its landing page with an SFW video in which Cherie DeVille explains, “While safety and compliance are at the forefront of our mission, giving your ID card every time you want to visit an adult platform is not the most effective solution for protecting our users, and in fact, will put children and your privacy at risk.”
Pornhub’s response reflects concerns voiced by numerous free speech groups, activists and journalists.
In April, local news site Alabama Political Reporter responded to the the enactment of HB 164 by airing critics’ concerns that the new law is “a continuation of anti-privacy legislation aimed at appeasing the religious right-wing of the state’s GOP, driven by a desire to enforce conformity on citizens through faith and coercion.”
The Alabama Political Reporter also noted warnings that such measures constitute invasion of personal privacy, increase the risk of identity theft and “give the government excessive control over what adults can read, view, and consume in their own homes.”
The piece concluded by cautioning, “one must wonder about the future of First Amendment rights and the varying standards of sexual expression across the United States.”
Main Image: Alabama State Rep. Ben Robbins (R)
