MissouriMissouri requires age checks for certain adult websites
Businesses that knowingly and intentionally publish certain websites must use a third party to check visitors’ ages, with exceptions for news and public-interest material.
What it does
A business that knowingly and intentionally publishes or distributes a website with more than one-third covered sexual material must have a third party check visitors’ ages. News and public-interest material is excluded.
Age-check services must not keep identifying information about the people they check.
The attorney general may take a qualifying case to court. A judge may order relief, including penalties of $10,000 per day for an unlawful website or $10,000 each time identifying information is kept; an added penalty of up to $250,000 may apply if a minor accessed covered material.
Argument forThird-party age checks could help keep minors from accessing covered sexual material, while the law bars those services from keeping visitors’ identifying information.
Argument againstVisitors might need to provide digital identification or have their age checked using personal data to access covered material, even though the checking service cannot keep identifying information.
More detail
A business must use a third party to check that visitors are at least 18. The rule covers a website, including a social media platform, if more than one-third of its material meets the law’s definition of sexual material harmful to minors. The definition considers whether the material appeals to minors, shows offensive sexual content, and lacks serious value for minors. The business must publish or distribute the material knowingly and intentionally. The rule does not apply to bona fide news or public-interest broadcasts, videos, reports, or events, and it does not affect news-gathering organizations’ rights.
A third party that checks a visitor’s age must not keep that person’s identifying information. This applies to any third party that performs an age check under this section.
The attorney general may bring a qualifying case against a business to court. Penalties include $10,000 per day a business operates a website in violation of the age-check rules and $10,000 for each instance of unlawfully keeping identifying information. A court may add up to $250,000 if one or more minors accessed covered material in violation of the rules. The attorney general may sue if it believes a business is knowingly violating the rules and the case serves the public interest. If a court finds a violation, it may order damages, court orders, civil penalties, court costs, attorney fees, or other relief.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Jul 9Delivered to Secretary of State (G)Latest
- Jul 9Approved by Governor Mike Kehoe (G)Became Law
- May 28Delivered to Governor
- May 28Signed by President Pro Tem (S)
- May 28Signed by House Speaker (H)
- May 13House Message (H)
- Vote recorded Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 8 NOES: 0 PRESENT: 0. Result: pass.Lower
- Vote recorded Truly Agreed To and Finally Passed - AYES: 112 NOES: 25 PRESENT: 11. Result: pass.Lower
- Vote recorded House Concurs (H) - in SA 1 - AYES: 104 NOES: 30 PRESENT: 11. Result: pass.Lower
- May 13Truly Agreed To and Finally Passed - AYES: 112 NOES: 25 PRESENT: 11Major
- May 13House Concurs (H) - in SA 1 - AYES: 104 NOES: 30 PRESENT: 11
- May 13Taken Up
- May 13Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 8 NOES: 0 PRESENT: 0Minor
- May 13Voted Do Pass (H)Minor
- May 13Executive Session Completed (H)
- May 12Referred: Fiscal Review(H)Minor
- Vote recorded Third Read and Passed with Amendments (S) - SA 1 - AYES: 32 NOES: 0 PRESENT: 0. Result: pass.Upper
- May 12Reported to the House with... (H) - SA 1
- May 12Third Read and Passed with Amendments (S) - SA 1 - AYES: 32 NOES: 0 PRESENT: 0Passed Senate
- May 12Taken Up for Third Reading (S)Minor
- May 7Placed on Informal Calendar
- May 7Reported Do Pass (S)Minor
- Apr 30Voted Do Pass (S)Minor
- Apr 30Executive Session Held (S)
- Apr 16Referred: Fiscal Oversight(S)Minor
- Apr 16Reported Do Pass (S)Minor
- Apr 15Voted Do Pass (S)Minor
- Apr 15Executive Session Held (S)
- Apr 8Public Hearing Held (S)
- Apr 7Public Hearing Scheduled (S) - Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 12:00 p.m., Senate Committee Room 1 - 1st Floor
- Mar 23Second read and referred: General Laws(S)
- Mar 9Reported to the Senate and First Read (S)Minor
- Vote recorded Third Read and Passed (H) - AYES: 120 NOES: 19 PRESENT: 9. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 9Third Read and Passed (H) - AYES: 120 NOES: 19 PRESENT: 9Passed House
- Mar 9Taken Up for Third Reading (H)Minor
- Mar 4Perfected (H) - AYES: 104 NOES: 16 PRESENT: 20
- Vote recorded Perfected (H) - AYES: 104 NOES: 16 PRESENT: 20. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 4HCS Adopted (H)
- Mar 4Title of Bill - Agreed To
- Mar 4Taken Up for Perfection (H)
- Feb 26Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 5 NOES: 1 PRESENT: 0Minor
- Vote recorded Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 5 NOES: 1 PRESENT: 0. Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 26Voted Do Pass (H)Minor
- Feb 26Executive Session Completed (H)
- Feb 19Referred: Rules - Administrative(H)Minor
- Feb 17HCS Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 17 NOES: 0 PRESENT: 0Minor
- Vote recorded HCS Reported Do Pass (H) - AYES: 17 NOES: 0 PRESENT: 0. Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 17HCS Voted Do Pass (H)Minor
- Feb 17Executive Session Completed (H)
- Feb 10Public Hearing Completed (H)
- Jan 15Referred: Children and Families(H)Minor
- Jan 8Read Second Time (H)Minor
- Jan 7Read First Time (H)
- 2025
- Dec 1Prefiled (H)Introduced
Consumer ProtectionAI & Privacy