Right now, there’s a lot of buzz online about whether the United States is on the verge of banning anime. The panic grew especially loud after some recent moves in the US Congress and the Texas state legislature, which have people wondering if their favorite shows and comics could be censored or even outlawed. So what’s the truth behind the anime ban rumors, and how do US laws and Texas politics actually fit into this?
The SCREEN Act and US Congress: Protecting Kids or Threatening Anime?
In early 2025, the US Congress introduced a bill known as the SCREEN Act (Shielding Children’s Retinas from Egregious Exposure on the Net). This act’s main goal is to protect children from exposure to online pornography by enforcing stricter age verification on streaming platforms and websites. The bill, introduced by Senator Mike Lee and Congresswoman Mary Miller, focuses specifically on preventing minors from stumbling onto explicit material on the internet.
However, the SCREEN Act itself does not explicitly target anime. Instead, it aims at age-restricting adult content. But, because some anime series occasionally include suggestive or mature themes, fans worry the act could indirectly lead to tighter restrictions or censorship on some anime content. This misinformation led to viral rumors on social media that Congress plans to “ban all anime,” which isn’t accurate.
Texas and the SB-20 Bill: Where the Real Controversy Lies
The real source of anxiety among anime fans comes from Texas, where the state Senate passed a bill called SB-20 (also referred to as the “Stopping Artificial Intelligence (AI) Generated Child Pornography” bill). This law criminalizes possession or promotion of any visual material deemed obscene that appears to depict minors under 18 years old. Importantly, it doesn’t just cover real images but also cartoons, animations, and AI-generated images, which includes anime and manga.
SB-20’s broad and vague wording leaves room for interpretation, worrying many that certain anime or manga art styles, which sometimes portray characters who look young or adolescent, could be penalized under this law — potentially even leading to felony charges for possession. The bill met unanimous approval in the Texas Senate and is moving closer to becoming law.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick strongly supports this bill and has made its passage a priority, indicating this could reshape how anime and manga content are treated within the state. While it technically applies only to Texas, the bill has led to intense online debate across the US among anime communities fearing that this might set a precedent for other states or national laws.
Why Fans Are Worried: Artistic Expression vs. Legal Restrictions
The crux of the issue is that anime and manga are widely recognized as artistic expressions with cultural and literary value. The US Constitution’s First Amendment protects freedom of speech, including art. Courts have previously ruled that sexualized images with artistic value are not necessarily illegal, even if they depict fictional minors.
The challenge is that laws like Texas’s SB-20 try to combat child exploitation but use ambiguous terms like “obscene” and “appears to depict” minors. This ambiguity may allow authorities to target anime and manga content that some may simply see as imaginative storytelling or stylized art. Critics worry this could chill creative freedom and discourage artists or fans from accessing or creating such content.
One legal analysis points out that for SB-20 to hold up, prosecutors would have to prove that the anime or manga has no artistic value and that the law is narrowly tailored to truly protect children without infringing on constitutional free speech rights. This is a high bar, but the risk of wrongful prosecution remains a real concern for the anime community in Texas.
Online Reactions: Panic and Misinformation
The internet exploded with reactions after these legislative moves. Social media platforms like Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) feature countless posts from fans worried the US government is “banning anime.” Comments range from disbelief to outright defiance. Some say that even discussing a ban is ridiculous because implementing such a ban on a massively popular medium with over 50 million viewers in the US (as per Crunchyroll stats) would be impractical.
At the same time, some users are frustrated with lawmakers focusing on censoring anime instead of addressing bigger national issues like the country’s economic problems. Memes and jokes about a “crashout” of fans or “disaster movie” scenarios have flooded online conversations.
Despite the panic, AI chatbots like Grok (developed by Elon Musk’s xAI) have clarified that while some laws could impact anime indirectly, there is no federal-level ban on anime in the US. Grok explained that the SCREEN Act looks to block minors from pornographic content but does not outright ban anime. Similarly, the Texas SB-20 bill’s enforcement might affect some anime, but the bill is state-specific and not a nationwide ban. Still, the murky language causes understandable apprehension among fans.
The Role of the United States Government in Regulating Content
The United States government has a long history of balancing child protection with free speech. The current coordinated efforts through the US Congress and state legislatures like Texas reflect continued attempts to grapple with how emerging technologies (like AI-generated images) and ever-expanding digital content affect society, especially minors.
Online platforms streamed to millions of American households complicate enforcement. The US Congress’s approach via the SCREEN Act emphasizes age verification technology rather than banning animation outright. Meanwhile, specific states like Texas are exploring more aggressive legislation targeting obscene material, which accounts for the stronger localized response.
Despite these efforts, there is clear resistance from advocates defending artistic freedom, community organizers, and most importantly, fans and creators within the anime and manga culture. The battle plays out both in legislative halls and social media spaces, illustrating the complex relationship between law, technology, culture, and expression in the United States.