Is Pornhub blocked in South Carolina?
Yes. Pornhub has blocked South Carolina since January 1, 2025. South Carolina law (Act 198) took effect January 1, 2025.
Since January 1, 2025, South Carolina requires websites with more than a third adult content to verify that visitors are 18 or older, lets parents sue sites that don't, and lets the Attorney General seek an injunction. Pornhub blocked South Carolina the day the requirement took effect.
The law
| Status | Law in effect |
|---|---|
| Law | Act 198: H.3424 (Act 198 of 2024) (text) |
| Citation | S.C. Code Ann. § 37-1-310 |
| Signed | May 21, 2024 |
| In effect | January 1, 2025 |
| Who it covers | Commercial entities that knowingly and intentionally publish or distribute material harmful to minors on the internet from a website where more than 33 1/3 percent of total material is harmful to minors. News and public-interest content is exempt unless the site itself meets the threshold; ISPs, search engines and cloud providers are not liable merely for providing access. |
| Accepted ID methods | digitized identification card; independent third-party age verification service using commercially available databases; commercially reasonable method using public or private transactional data |
| Data rules | Identifying information may not be retained after access is granted; knowing retention creates liability to the individual. |
| Enforcement | Both: private suits (minor via parent/guardian; class or joinder allowed) and Attorney General injunctive/equitable relief. |
| Penalties | Nominal, actual and punitive damages, court costs and attorney fees; no fixed per-violation or per-day fine. |
Act 198 took effect when the Governor approved it on 2024-05-21, but its age-verification requirement (§ 37-1-310(C)) applies only from 2025-01-01, which is used as the effective date here.
Why is Pornhub blocked in South Carolina?
Aylo restricted access from South Carolina IP addresses when the age-verification requirement became operative on Jan. 1, 2025 (Post and Courier, Jan. 2, 2025). PCMag's August 2026 list of states where Pornhub is unavailable still includes South Carolina.
When did Pornhub block South Carolina?
Pornhub stopped serving South Carolina on January 1, 2025. South Carolina law (Act 198) took effect January 1, 2025.
Is porn banned in South Carolina?
No. South Carolina doesn't ban porn. South Carolina law (Act 198) sets age-verification rules for adult sites, and Pornhub chose to block South Carolina rather than follow them.
What does Act 198 require?
Commercial entities that knowingly and intentionally publish or distribute material harmful to minors on the internet from a website where more than 33 1/3 percent of total material is harmful to minors. News and public-interest content is exempt unless the site itself meets the threshold; ISPs, search engines and cloud providers are not liable merely for providing access.
Enforcement: Both: private suits (minor via parent/guardian; class or joinder allowed) and Attorney General injunctive/equitable relief.
Is it illegal to watch porn in South Carolina?
No. South Carolina law (Act 198) puts its duties on websites, not on the people who visit them. Watching legal adult content is not a crime under it.
Separate state and federal laws on obscenity and child sexual abuse material apply everywhere, whatever a state's age-verification rules.
How do I verify my age for adult sites in South Carolina?
South Carolina law (Act 198) accepts these methods: digitized identification card; independent third-party age verification service using commercially available databases; commercially reasonable method using public or private transactional data. Each site chooses which ones to offer.
Can porn sites keep my ID in South Carolina?
Identifying information may not be retained after access is granted; knowing retention creates liability to the individual.
Is it illegal to use a VPN in South Carolina?
South Carolina law (Act 198) sets duties for websites. It does not create a penalty for people who use a VPN.
Why does Pornhub think I'm in South Carolina?
Websites estimate where you are from your IP address, not your street address. Mobile carriers and some internet providers route traffic through regional hubs that can sit across a state line, so a phone in Georgia can appear to be in South Carolina.
When a site shows another state's notice, the cause is usually where your network's IP address is registered, not the law where you are.
Timeline
Bills to watch
- H.3405 (App Store Accountability Act). App store age verification and parental consent. has not advanced out of the House
Related laws
- H.3431, Age-Appropriate Design Code Act (Act 96 of 2026) (effective Feb 5, 2026). Protective default settings, recommendation opt-outs and limits on addictive features and overnight notifications for online services likely used by minors. in effect; challenged in NetChoice, LLC v. Wilson, No. 3:26-cv-00543 (D.S.C., filed 2026-02-09); no ruling on the preliminary injunction motion as of mid-2026
Sources
- H.3424 (Act 198) ratified text, South Carolina General Assembly (scstatehouse.gov) Legislature · May 21, 2024
- H.3424 bill history (Session 125), South Carolina General Assembly (scstatehouse.gov) Legislature · accessed Oct 26, 2026
- S.C. Code Title 37, Chapter 1 (§ 37-1-310) (scstatehouse.gov) Statute · accessed Oct 26, 2026
- Adult websites leave SC as age verification law takes effect (Post and Courier) (postandcourier.com) News · Jan 2, 2025
- Sorry, No Pornhub Access in 25 States and 3 Countries (PCMag, via Yahoo News) (yahoo.com) News · Aug 28, 2026
- South Carolina: age verification law tracker (law.ungovr.org) (law.ungovr.org) Tracker · Jul 15, 2026
This page is general information, not legal advice. Last verified October 26, 2026 by the Editorial Team. See something wrong or out of date? Report a correction. How we work: methodology.