Most – but not all – forms of pornography are legal in Texas. However, there are laws in place to protect vulnerable people from unknowingly or indirectly becoming the subject of pornographic images.

There are also rules in place to protect minors from exposure to harmful or obscene content. 

In some instances, even sharing images provided with the subject’s consent is also illegal, particularly if you share them in retribution. The number of clients we see who have been charged with “revenge porn” is growing steadily.

Is Porn Banned in Texas?

Texas has not banned porn, though it may seem that way if you try to log in to a website with adult content.

Porn is still available at retail locations across the Lone Star State.

Accessing porn online is more complicated. A state law that was enacted in 2023 caused Pornhub (and other well-known porn sites) to block access in Texas. However, browsing these sites remains legal. Access was blocked by the companies that run the sites, not the state.

Texas Porn Laws

The state has laws in place to limit who can legally buy, sell, or view porn. You must:

• Be age 18 or older
• Buy items from a licensed shop or distributor
• Not provide material to anyone under 18
• Only purchase and view material of consenting adults ages 18 or older

House Bill 1181 and Texas’s Age Verification Law

In June 2023, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 1181 into law. As we previously mentioned, the law requires adult websites to ensure that anyone accessing them is at least 18 by using “reasonable age verification methods.”

The law spent years being challenged in court. However, on June 27, 2025, the Supreme Court ended the dispute, upholding the law in a 6-3 decision. Any site that devotes more than one-third of its content to pornographic images is required to comply with the state law.

HB 1131 is the reason Pornhub blocked Texans’ access to the site in March 2024. If you attempt to log in, you will see a lengthy message about device-based age verification:

However, accessing those sites in Texas remains legal. The companies voluntarily blocked them, and sites that continue to be accessible in the state will require uploading a government ID or agreeing to use facial-recognition software.

The law, as written, does not penalize Texans for violations. Instead, it holds the websites accountable, requiring them to pay civil penalties of up to $10,000.

READ MORE: Why is Pornhub banned in Texas?

8 Types of Porn that are Illegal in Texas

There are a few types of porn that are illegal in Texas. Most of them are designed to protect children, and a few laws protect adults’ privacy. And AI has also entered the chat, with laws prohibiting the use of artificial images that depict children or show their actual features. 

Here are the most common types of porn charges in Texas: 

1. Revenge pornography

Legal definition: Disclosing intimate images or videos of someone without their consent is a privacy violation. 

Classification: Class C misdemeanor (or Class A misdemeanor for repeat offenders)

2. Obscene display or distribution

Legal definition: Intentional display or distribution of obscene materials in a manner where others might be offended or alarmed is illegal in Texas

Classification: State jail felony

3. Child pornography

Legal definition: Texas law says residents cannot possess, distribute, produce, or promote visual material that depicts a child younger than 18 years engaged in sexual conduct.

Classification: Third-degree felony

4. AI-generated porn depicting a minor

Legal definition: If AI generates content that displays the features of a real child, it falls under traditional child pornography laws. These images are called deep fakes,

Classification: Third-degree felony

5. AI-generated porn using images of a minor

Legal definition: AI-generated pornography that uses an image of a child under age 18 is illegal, even if the finished content doesn’t depict the child.

Classification: Third-degree felony

6. Sexual performance by a child

Legal definition: Engaging a child under the age of 18 in a sexual performance or producing, directing, or promoting such material.

Classification: Second-degree felony

7. Sexting between minors

Legal definition: Intentional display or distribution of obscene materials in a manner where others might be offended or alarmed is illegal in Texas.

Classification: Class C misdemeanor

8. Distributing harmful materials to a minor

Legal definition: Sexting between two underage individuals has less severe penalties than if an adult is involved. There are no penalties for sexting if the two minors are dating.

Classification: Class A misdemeanor (can be elevated to a third-degree felony depending on circumstances)