April and May were action-packed months as most US states ended their 2024 legislative sessions. Out of 29 proposed bills, 11 passed, 11 were defeated, and 7 remain active. New laws in Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee (notably with criminal penalties for non-compliance) bring the total number of states with age verification laws to 18. The FSC successfully lobbied against bills in Arizona, Alaska, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin. The fight continues with active legislation in seven states and ongoing efforts in California, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. Stay informed with our Age Verification Bill Tracker and updated FAQ. Read more here.

Major national and international organizations have filed amicus briefs with the United States Supreme Court in support of FSC’s petition for a writ of a certiorari in Free Speech Coalition v Paxton. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Woodhull Freedom Foundation (WFF), International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) and a coalition of mainstream authors, publishers, booksellers and free speech advocates (American Booksellers for Free Expression, Authors Guild, Association of American Publishers, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and Freedom to Read Foundation) have all asked the court to hear the Texas case. Read more here.

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner accused Apple and Google of prioritizing revenue over enforcing their own policies by keeping Reddit and X in their app stores despite hosting pornography. The eSafety roadmap highlighted that 41% of teens reported seeing pornography on X, surpassing views on dedicated adult sites. Commissioner Julie Inman Grant noted that app stores collect significant fees from transactions, creating a disincentive to remove these apps. Despite calls for age verification technology on social media, current trials funded by the Australian government focus on adult websites. Read more on The Guardian.

A Canadian Senate age verification bill could extend to streaming services like Netflix, according to privacy experts. Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne and Canadian Heritage Deputy Minister Owen Ripley testified that the bill's broad scope could impact various platforms, including search engines and social media, raising significant privacy and freedom of expression concerns. Critics, including law professor Michael Geist and privacy lawyer David Fraser, argue that the necessary age verification technology is insufficient and the bill requires a complete overhaul. Read more on The Globe and Mail.

Spain's Socialist Party (PSOE) faced a significant defeat as their controversial bill to recriminalize sex work was soundly rejected in parliament. The "Abolition of Prostitution" law, criticized for failing to provide an exit strategy for sex workers and unjustly targeting clients and facilitators, lacked sufficient support. The vote, with 122 in favor and 184 against, underscores a pivotal moment in the fight for sex workers' autonomy and safety. Read more on XBIZ.