Texas HB 1181 (Age Verification)
Bad
Enacted; upheld by the US Supreme Court●●● High threatUpdated June 27, 2025
IntroducedPassed HousePassed SenateBecame Law
Requires age verification to view adult content, the law the Supreme Court used to greenlight online ID checks.
SponsorTexas Legislature
Latest actionEnacted; upheld by the US Supreme Court (June 27, 2025)
What it does
Texas HB 1181 makes sites with a lot of adult content verify visitors are 18, using government ID or a commercial age-check service. It became the test case for whether a state can require ID to reach lawful online content.
Why it matters
The Supreme Court upheld it in June 2025. That ruling opened the door to a wave of state age-verification and online ID laws reaching well past adult sites.
Our take
The ruling counts far more than one Texas law. By accepting that a state can require ID to view lawful content, the Court handed every legislature a template, and the same checkpoints are now being written for social media and app stores.
Votes
- House — Final passage (141 to 0) · May 9, 2023
- Senate — Final passage (31 to 0) · May 19, 2023
Timeline
- June 12, 2023Signed into Texas law
- June 27, 2025Upheld by the US Supreme Court in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton
Legal challenges
Our coverage: all age-verification stories · Status checked July 16, 2026