WASHINGTON—The Federal Trade Commission's Mark Meador, a commissioner tied to a right-wing populist movement within the Republican Party, came out in favor of age verification as a "better way" to protect minors on the internet from age-restricted material that is still protected by the First Amendment, AVN has learned.
Meador has served on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) since his appointment and Senate confirmation in April 2025. His endorsement came during a workshop hosted by the FTC on January 28, which featured experts and critics on the age verification law and the technology, including representatives from the AV industry.
As AVN reported, the agency appears to have intentionally excluded adult-industry companies and other stakeholders, including the Free Speech Coalition (FSC). The age verification workshop was planned, according to an anonymous source, with a clear bias against the industry, as it is unable to speak to online safety for minors.
Further speculation can be initiated, as key stakeholder groups shared that the adult industry was excluded from planning and programming the panels at the FTC event.
“Age verification offers a better way—it offers a way to unleash American innovation without compromising the health and well-being of America's most important resource: its children,” Meador said. “It is a tool that empowers rather than replaces America's parents — really, I don't know that we can afford to forego it.”
Meador's support was built on endorsements of age-verification technology and laws from conservative and far-right groups against pornography and AV firms. It is also worth noting that age-verification laws have been inconsistent, as discussed by various legal panels at AVN's Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas last week.
Meador is also tied to high-profile anti-pornography activists, including U.S. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Sen. Lee has often proposed bills in the national legislature targeting adult entertainment platforms, specifically with age-verification levies, and Paxton was sued by the FSC and other adult firms.
For example, half of the U.S. states have age-verification laws on the books, with penalties ranging from fines to criminal penalties. Several speakers at the FTC workshop openly endorsed child protection measures currently before Congress, including the controversial Kids Online Safety Act or the SCREEN Act.
FTC chair Andrew Ferguson, another Republican, also endorsed AV for complying with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. Central to the endorsement is his expectation that businesses use age-verification technologies, such as those from companies like Yoti and Incode, to prevent "innovative ways of breaking the law."
For context, the FTC's leadership is currently imbalanced. Ferguson and Meador are currently the only two commissioners leading the regulatory agency. Investigative reporting by Al Jazeera noted that both Ferguson and Meador are highly supportive of using their regulatory powers to suppress certain forms of LGBTQ+ speech.
AVN is following further developments on federal age verification from the Federal Trade Commission, other parts of the executive branch, and Congress.
