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North Dakota to Require Age Verification for Adult Sites

By Bill Dubensky May 27, 2025 | 5:56 AM

(Getty Images via the North Dakota Monitor)

 

(BY: . North Dakota Monitor) – The North Dakota Legislature passed expanded regulations and penalties surrounding pornography and deepfake content during the 2025 session.

Gov. Kelly Armstrong signed bills that added age-verification requirements for websites publishing explicit content. He also signed a bill that added civil penalties for the creation and distribution of deepfake, or computer-generated, pornographic material without a subject’s consent. Both laws will go into effect Aug. 1.

Senate Bill 2380 and House Bill 1561 both will require age verification for websites containing a substantial portion of pornographic material that could be considered harmful to minors.

Rep. Steve Swiontek, R-Fargo, chief sponsor of House Bill 1561, said children are being exposed to pornography in significant numbers by age 12 and even more by age 17, which is one of the main reasons he sponsored the bill.

Those websites under the new law would need to implement a verification system to confirm the user is over 18.

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