Missouri Dem. Proposes Age Verification for Adult Dating Sites

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.—After a drafting error, a senior Democratic leader in the Missouri Senate has introduced legislation looking to mandate age verification for adult dating platforms. AVN previously reported on Assistant Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck filing and then withdrawal of Senate Bill (SB) 961. SB 961 would have instituted a civil action against adult companies that don't comply with age verification requirements and was worded similarly to bills introduced in the Missouri House by the Republicans. SB 961 was withdrawn on January 4, though. After clarification, a spokesperson for the Senate Democrats confirmed that Beck's bill was drafted wrong. The new bill, Senate Bill 1305, deals specifically with online dating platforms for adult users. "Under the act, an internet dating service shall perform age verification to ensure that an individual attempting to access the service is at least 18 years of age," reads a synopsis of the bill provided by the state legislature. "Violations of provisions of the act may be reported to the Attorney General. If the Attorney General finds that an internet dating service violated provisions of this act, the Attorney General shall bring a civil action against the internet dating service for such violations." Age verification requirements for online dating platforms have not yet been seen in such a capacity in other state legislatures. Similar legislation would be social networking platforms, like Facebook or Instagram, being required to verify a user's age.  Generally, age verification proposals have seen little success when it comes to judicial reviews before state and federal courts.