Justice Alito humorously compared Pornhub to Playboy during a court case on age verification laws for adult sites
Austin: So, Justice Alito stirred things up in court the other day. He jokingly asked if people visit Pornhub for the articles, just like folks used to claim they bought Playboy for the same reason. It got a few laughs, but he was serious about the case at hand.
The Supreme Court is looking at a Texas law that requires adult sites to check users’ ages. An industry group argues this law messes with free speech rights. Alito was curious about how much of Pornhub’s content is actually safe for kids.
When the lawyer for the plaintiffs, Derek Shaffer, admitted that most of it is inappropriate for young ones, Alito pushed further. He asked if there were any essays like those in the old Playboy, which made everyone chuckle.
Shaffer had to admit that while there are some wellness posts on the site, it’s not quite the same as the classic magazine. The Texas law, passed in 2023, says sites with a lot of adult content need to take steps to verify ages or face hefty fines.
The Fifth Circuit Court recently backed this law, saying it’s important to keep kids from seeing porn. Alito also pointed out that not many parents are as tech-savvy as their teens, which is a real concern.
This case, called Free Speech Coalition, Inc. v. Paxton, is set to be decided by the end of June. It’s definitely one to keep an eye on!
