SB25-201 is a proposed Colorado bill that would require online pornography websites (and other platforms that host adult content harmful to minors) to implement strict age verification systems to prevent access by individuals under 18.
Key Takeaways
Purpose of the Bill
Protect minors in Colorado from exposure to online pornography.
Recognize the harmful effects of early exposure to explicit material, such as:
Anxiety, depression
Unhealthy perceptions of relationships
Increased risk of compulsive behaviors
What the Bill Requires
Covered Platforms
Websites (or parts of websites) that:
Regularly host or distribute pornographic material, and
Operate for profit
Exceptions:
News outlets
General-purpose search engines
Cloud services, ISPs
Platforms that prohibit or actively remove harmful content
Age Verification Requirements (Starting July 1, 2026)
Platforms that fall under this law must:
Use "reasonable age verification measures" to confirm users are 18+
Offer at least one method that does not require ID or disclosing identity (e.g., AI facial analysis, third-party services)
Use independently certified age-checking tech
Allow users to appeal age verification errors
Destroy personal data as soon as possible after verification
Comply with Colorado's Privacy Act
Auditing
Covered platforms must undergo annual audits by independent auditors to prove their verification systems meet international standards (like ISO).
Enforcement & Privacy
Platforms can’t rely only on IP addresses to assume someone isn’t in Colorado.
They must delete personal data after age verification is complete.
The bill respects user privacy and includes media exceptions for journalism and news coverage.
When Would It Take Effect?
If passed and not challenged via referendum: 90 days after the legislative session ends.
If a referendum is filed: goes to voters in November 2026, effective if approved by voters and certified by the governor.
In Summary:
SB25-201 is a child protection and digital regulation bill. It balances the protection of minors from adult content with respect for adult rights and digital privacy, by mandating strong but privacy-conscious age verification systems for pornographic websites accessible in Colorado.
Summary
On and after July 1, 2026, the bill requires certain internet websites
that knowingly and intentionally publish or distribute material that is harmful to children (covered platforms) to:
•
Perform one or more reasonable age verification measures to verify the age of each individual who attempts to access such material;
•
Prevent children from accessing such material; and
•
Arrange for annual independent audits of the results of the covered platform's reasonable age verification measures.
On and after July 1, 2026, a covered platform must offer each user
at least one option by which the covered platform may verify the user's age without the user having to disclose the user's identity. For this purpose, a covered platform must employ commercially available technologies that are independently certified to be highly effective in establishing that an individual is not a child.
A covered platform may not rely solely upon the geographical
registration of an internet protocol address to determine a user's location and must apply extensive due diligence based on available technology before concluding that an individual is not located in Colorado.
A covered platform must ensure that each reasonable age
verification measure that the covered platform employs includes a means by which a potential user of the covered platform may appeal a determination concerning the potential user's age.
A covered platform that acquires personal data for the purposes of
age verification must destroy the personal data as soon as reasonably possible after a potential user's age is checked for age verification. In acquiring and retaining personal data, a covered platform must otherwise comply with the requirements of the Colorado Privacy Act.
