INDIANAPOLIS — A bill that requires age verification to look at an adult website is one step closer to becoming a law in Indiana.
The Senate overwhelmingly approved the bill Thursday afternoon.
The bill would require age verification, proving someone was at least 18 years old, before they could access an adult website.
"We have children who have seen hardcore content before they have their first kiss," State Sen. Michael Bohacek, R-District 8, the author of Senate Bill 17, told the lawmakers in the Senate.
If Senate Bill 17 becomes law, that would likely change.
So how would it work?
Under the bill, a third-party company would verify a person’s identity and age before that person could access an adult site. That third-party company would be required to erase someone’s personal information after the person’s age and ID were verified.
If not, the company would face penalties.
Supporters of the bill say it protects kids from accessing dangerous content.
"You can’t go into a MA-rated movie if you’re under a certain age. You can’t go into a porn store if you’re under a certain age. You can’t go buy a dirty magazine if you’re under a certain age, but we have a big loophole where kids can get on the internet, and they know how to do it very well," said State Senator Mike Young, R-District 35, who spoke in support of SB 17.
Senate Minority Leader Greg Taylor, D-District 33, called the bill a noble idea but said it needed guardrails.
Taylor pointed to legal challenges to a similar bill in another state, saying most of the third-party age verification companies are in other countries and there’s nothing to prevent them from holding onto someone’s personal information or selling it.
"The bottom line is they still have our information under this age verification," Taylor said, before voting against SB 17, the only senator to do so.
SB 17 passed the Senate by a vote of 44-1.
It now heads to the House for consideration.