Florida Enacts Age Verification for Adult Sites & Social Media

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed legislation that would require residents of the state to verify their age to access social media and adult content. The bill, effective January 1, 2025, aims to protect minors from harmful online influences and combat addictive technology. Pornhub and a number of other adult sites will “go dark” in protest.

The new law prohibits children under 14 from opening social media accounts, while those aged 14-15 need parental consent. Social media platforms must utilize third-party services to verify users' ages, facing penalties of up to $10,000 per violation.

DeSantis emphasized the importance of this legislation, stating, “You can have a kid in the house safe, seemingly, and then you have predators that can get right in there into your own home.”

The bill also addresses platforms with features like infinite scrolling and video autoplay, such as TikTok and Instagram; features considered inherently problematic for developing minds.

However, critics argue the law infringes on privacy and First Amendment rights. Carl Szabo, Vice President of NetChoice, said the bill contains “several constitutional defects,” and raised concerns regarding the highly sensitive data Floridians would have to hand to third-party services to access social media or adult sites.

In an official statement, Aylo, the parent company behind Pornhub, YouPorn, RedTube, Brazzers, and others, explained their reasoning behind taking their sites offline instead of complying with the new laws:

"Any regulations that require hundreds of thousands of adult sites to collect significant amounts of highly sensitive personal information is putting user safety in jeopardy. Moreover, as experience has demonstrated, unless properly enforced, users will simply access non-compliant sites or find other methods of evading these laws."

This move means that Florida will join a list of more than a dozen other states where Pornhub is blocked, including Louisiana, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. Users in these states will only be able to access these sites using location-masking technology like a VPN.

In response, The Free Speech Coalition and adult platforms, including Aylo, are challenging Florida’s HB 3, claiming such laws are effectively state censorship and stifle discussions on sex and sexuality. A related Texas case heads to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2025.