The new year brought with it new laws, notably a Florida law requiring age verification in order to access adult-content websites. Florida is just the latest state to restrict adult sites, but it’s kicked off a wave of interest in finding ways around the rule, especially since Pornhub — one of the largest and most popular adult sites — has blocked access in Florida. VPNs, a way of keeping your internet activity private, are now more in demand than ever.
What is a VPN?
VPN stands for virtual private network. It’s like connecting to the internet through a hidden tunnel rather than being out in the open. VPNs encrypt your traffic and can hide your “home” address so sites can’t tell where you really are. That’s relevant to the surge in interest for VPNs in states that have implemented age-verification laws for accessing online adult content. Here’s everything you need to know about VPNs.
VPNs aren’t just a potential way to access banned or explicit material. Many people rely on them for privacy and to protect high-value or sensitive personal and business data. Streaming video aficionados have long used VPNs to watch shows, movies or sports that may be locked out in their own areas. TikTok fans are also investigating VPNs as a possible way around the looming ban on the popular social media app.
What about a proxy?
A proxy server is another way to skip around regional restrictions. Like a VPN, a proxy masks your IP address (your “home” address) to make it look like you’re located somewhere else. However, it doesn’t offer the same privacy as a VPN, which also encrypts your data. Learn the difference between VPNs and proxies and when to use each one.
Florida joins age verification trend
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 3 in March 2024, though it went into effect at the beginning of 2025. The bill is focused on preventing minors younger than 14 from becoming social media account holders.
“In addition to protecting children from the dangers of social media, HB 3 requires pornographic or sexually explicit websites to use age verification to prevent minors from accessing sites that are inappropriate for children,” DeSantis’ office said in a statement last year.
Users must prove they are 18 or older. Websites that fail to comply are subject to penalties of up to $50,000 per violation.
Florida’s age verification requirement is part of a trend of states that have passed or implemented similar mandates. Those states include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia.
The movement began in earnest in 2022 when Louisiana passed age verification requirements. Many of these laws impose fines or allow a website to be sued for damages unless it uses an age verification process.
Pornhub goes dark
While some adult sites have launched age-verification systems, major pornographic website Pornhub chose to go dark in states with age verification laws, citing privacy concerns with requiring IDs.
Pornhub’s decision was apparent in a 2024 year-in-review blog post that included a map of popular search terms by state. The states Pornhub no longer services appeared grayed out on the US map. CNET didn’t immediately hear back from Pornhub’s parent company Aylo about a request for comment.
VPN interest surges
VPN review and advocacy site vpnMentor noted a sharp rise in demand for VPN services in Florida coinciding with HB 3 going into effect.
“The vpnMentor research team observed a significant surge in VPN usage across the state of Florida, with a staggering increase noted in the first hours of January 1st increasing consistently since the last minutes of 2024 and reaching its peak of 1,150% only four hours after the HB 3 law came into effect,” the organization said in a statement on Jan. 2.
VpnMentor saw similar spikes when Pornhub’s state bans launched in Utah in 2023 and Texas in 2024.
Taking it to the Supreme Court
State-level age verification laws are facing legal challenges. The adult industry trade association Free Speech Coalition is active in battling age verification laws. The group sued Florida in December to block the state’s new law and has already challenged similar laws in other states.
“While keeping minors from adult content is a laudable goal, the government does not have the right to force legal adults to scan their face, upload a photo ID or otherwise give up their privacy to access the internet,” said Alison Boden, Free Speech Coalition executive director, in a statement on Jan. 6.
A national precedent for state age verification laws may soon be set. The Supreme Court agreed to take up the Free Speech Coalition’s case against the Texas law. The court heard oral arguments on Jan. 15. It can take months for the Supreme Court to release a decision.
Choosing a VPN
VPNs have been around for a long time, but their rising popularity means more internet users are looking for advice on choosing the right one. Not all VPNs are created equal. CNET generally doesn’t recommend free VPN services. When evaluating a VPN, consider privacy standards, speeds and price. Check out CNET’s top VPN recommendations.
Age verification laws continue to be a battleground. No one is arguing that minors should have access to adult sites, but the issue is shaping up around what mechanisms should be used or required to protect those minors. VPNs will remain a hot topic, whether in relation to online pornography, general privacy or TikTok.
